5 SMC officials arrested for facilitating illegal construction

Five senior officials of Srinagar Municipal Corporation have been arrested for allegedly facilitating illegal constructions for monetary benefits here, a spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organisation (SVO) said today.
The arrests were made following registration of a case under various sections of Prevention of Corruption Act and Ranbir Penal Code, the spokesman said.
He said a verification conducted by the Vigilance revealed that some Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) officials of Ward Number 28 (Batamaloo) had hatched a conspiracy with the beneficiaries and by way of abuse of their official positions facilitated raising of illegal and unauthorised constructions in Firdous Abad, Moomin Abad, Maharajipora, Tengpora Bypass and Court Road areas of the ward.

"Two former ward officials - Shakeel Ahmad Sheikh and Mohammad Yousuf Qazi - were arrested in connection with the case yesterday, while three more accused building inspectors - Nisar Ahmad Azad, Aijaz Ahmad Thakur and Irfan Hussain Mir - were arrested today," the spokesman said.
All the arrested officials were lodged in Police Station Shaheedgunj in the city, he said, adding some more arrests are expected shortly.