Patna, July 9: One among 500, that's the measure of success of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) in demolishing unauthorised constructions in the past decade.

Illegal portions of Leelavati Janki Villa, a high-rise on East Boring Canal Road, came under the civic body's sledgehammers in July 2014 though nearly 500 buildings across the city are suspected to have been built in deviation of approved maps and building plans.

Yesterday, PMC failed to demolish the top three unauthorised floors in Santosha Complex in face of stiff resistance offered by flat-owners. Patna High Court has recently quashed an appeal challenging an order passed by the court of Patna municipal commissioner to demolish illegal construction at Ness Inn in Kidwaipuri but the civic body has not yet finalised any action plan for the same.

Municipal commissioner Abhishek Singh denied receipt of the copy of the high court order passed on July 5.

Construction on Nesh Inn was stopped according to the order of the court of Patna municipal commissioner passed in July 2014 on grounds of submission of forged building map and construction of two additional floors. The order was challenged in the municipal building tribunal and then in Patna High Court but was dismissed at both places.

According to rough estimate, nearly 60 to 70 per cent of the buildings in the city have been constructed in violation of the building and development control regulations laid down in the National Building Code of India, 2005.

PMC started vigilance cases in 2013-14 acting under high court directives, which now await final order in the court of municipal commissioner. Sources claimed that the progress in the cases had lately slowed down and whatever orders were being passed were in favour of builders.

A senior PMC official said: "Most vigilance cases against unauthorised building construction were initiated during the tenure of former commissioner Kuldip Narayan. However, the progress slowed down following his transfer from PMC in December 2014. Whatever orders are being passed by the court of municipal commissioner are mostly providing relief to the builders in some way or the other."

Municipal commissioner Abhishek Singh, however, claimed that vigilance cases were being disposed of according to rule. "The court of municipal commissioner is held every Saturday and pending vigilance cases against unauthorised building construction are being put before it," he said.

"If illegal structures are not being demolished, then there can be legal reasons. The builders have the right to challenge the orders passed by the court of municipal commissioner by approaching higher judicial authorities, including municipal building tribunal and Patna High Court, and they are resorting to that," said the commissioner.

A large number of buildings across the city, the construction of which was stalled for over more than a year following high court directives in 2013, are ready and are even being used for residential and commercial purposes. Most building plans have been finalised after December 2014, when the pace of disposal of vigilance cases against unauthorised buildings allegedly slid.

"Building like hotel Ness Inn and the one next to Hariniwas Complex among others have been made ready after the transfer of Kuldip Narayan in December, 2014. There is no clarity as to how the buildings are getting completed despite ongoing litigation," said another PMC official.

Representatives of builders' fraternity too admitted that buildings were being completed in spite of pending litigation against them.

Sachin Chandra, the former state president of Builders' Association of India, said: "It is true that a large number of buildings have been completed over the past year and there is not much interference by PMC, probably because of its acute shortage of manpower."

In June and July 2013, the municipal corporation had sent notices to 1,241 under-construction buildings in the city suspected of being constructed in violation of building byelaws.

The Assembly recently formed a committee to look into the issue of illegal building construction activities in Patna. "We are providing reports to the committee as and when it asks for," said municipal commissioner Singh.