Patna High Court on Tuesday lifted the stay on the construction of apartments and complexes on the Ganga riverbed between Dujra and Digha, observing that the builders could go ahead with their projects at their own risk.

Hearing a bunch of petitions filed by builders challenging the ban imposed by Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), a bench of Justice Sheema Alik Khan lifted the stay. The civic body had ordered to stop all construction works on the riverbed citing safety reasons in the last week of January.

The builders hailed the high court decision. But Justice Khan’s order implies that the fate of the projects on the riverbed would hinge on the outcome of the inquiry being conducted by the PMC commissioner, Pankaj Kumar Pal.

Expressing happiness over the order, Sachin Chandra, the chairman of the Patna chapter of Builders’ Association of India, told The Telegraph: “The order has come as a great relief to public and the builders. The court must have found some substance in our contention before vacating the stay on the construction imposed by the PMC. The court also asked if the maps were approved by the PMC. The civic body replied in affirmative.”

Chandra said the fate of about 500 flats of nine apartments in question were at stake but the decision has given a relief to those who booked flats in those apartments.

An estimated Rs 200 crore was pumped into these projects before the PMC decided to act tough, the builders had said during a news meet in which they sought the intervention of chief minister Nitish Kumar in the issue.

The PMC has begun vigilance case proceedings on nine under-construction/constructed complexes. Notices were served on the builders asking if they had followed the structural safety norms and had proper sewerage, drainage and fire safety arrangements in place. The corporation had also put a blanket ban on approval of any forthcoming projects of multi-housing complexes on the contentious area.

Sources in the corporation said the PMC was not satisfied with the replies filed by the builders and the case was being pursued in the vigilance court of the corporation.

The 15-member committee, constituted by Pal to check how the architects had approved the maps, is yet to submit its report on the issue. Sources said the architects who approved the maps were yet to reply to the notices served on them.