Physically Disabled Shop Owner Alleges Corruption After Municipal Corporation Orders Demolition Of 25-Year-Old Shop

A shop owner with disability has accused an executive officer of the Silchar Municipal Corporation (SMC) of corruption and misuse of power after being handed a demolition notice for his shop on July 24. The order, based on a complaint filed by a private individual, directed him to demolish the structure within 21 days. However Executive Officer of the SMC has denied any foul play and claimed that the shop owner failed to produce any building permit.

According to the shop owner, the building was constructed over 25 years ago on his own land, long before the municipal body was empowered to issue construction permissions in 2012. “How was I supposed to get permission back then when the Municipality didn’t have such powers? This is my only source of livelihood, and as a physically disabled person, the officer didn’t even consider the humanitarian aspect. He has acted under the influence of land mafia and monetary benefits,” he alleged.

The final order, dated July 23, declared the shop “illegal” after the owner admitted during a July 11 hearing that the shop was built without municipal permission and without leaving setbacks as per building rules. The executive officer directed the owner to demolish the 173 sq. ft. shop within 21 days, warning that the corporation would carry out the demolition at the owner’s cost if he failed to comply.

The shop owner claimed that since there is no elected municipal body in place, the officer did not consult any authority before passing the order. He has vowed to move court and seek the intervention of the Chief Minister against what he described as a “coercive and corrupt” action.

However, talking to Barak Bulletin, the Executive Officer denied all these allegations, saying, “The case dates back to 2022, and after several orders and ample time given to the party, they failed to produce any papers of permission for the building. While it’s accepted that Silchar Municipal Board didn’t have the authority to issue building permission when the said building was built, but then Silchar Development Authority was there, which issued such permissions, we asked for that paper several times, but they failed to produce any such papers”.

He also added that the presence of any land mafia is not even a question, since land-related cases are not being taken into consideration by the municipality. It’s just about the building. “After demolition, if the shop owner applies for building permission following the procedure, the Municipality will certainly issue the order”, the officer also added.