By IANS,
Gandhinagar: The Gujarat high court Friday ordered the state government to issue demolition notices to all illegal commercial and residential buildings within a 220 yards radius from the Bhavnagar district jail on grounds of security.
The bench of Chief justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya and Justice K.M. Thaker was hearing the petition by Patel Siddhi Vinayak Joint Ventures Limited.
Government pleader P.K. Jani said, “The court has issued directions to the government to issue notices to the constructions which do not have the no-objection certificate (NOC)”.
The court had earlier directed the office of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) (Prisons) to submit a list of illegal constructions that have taken place in the vicinity of the Bhavnagar jail.
The government pleader had submitted that the authorities had not granted any no-objection certificates for construction of flats or for developing any industrial plot near the jail premises.
However, petitioner’s counsel D.C. Dave argued that a no-objection certificate was issued for construction of Vaibhav Flat and Sanjivani Flat, which were adjacent to the boundary wall of the proposed jail.
The bench said the rule as per the jail manual left it to the discretion of IG (Prisons) to decide on each application whether the permission should be granted for construction of building within 220 yards from the jail wall.
The court in an earlier hearing had summoned P.C. Thakur, additional director general and the inspector general of prisons, to appear before the court in person to assist it in the matter.
The government has now been directed to submit the action taken report by July 11.