RRDA vice-chairman Badri Narayan Das at a press meet in Ranchi on Sunday. (Hardeep Singh)

Ranchi, Feb. 7: Ranchi Regional Development Authority (RRDA), the state’s premier town planning wing, today declared that many of the constructions being carried out on the outskirts of the state capital are “illegal and unauthorised”.

“RRDA engineers studied the spate of constructions in 59 revenue villages that fall outside Ranchi Municipal Corporation limits. The survey revealed that in a number of cases, no building plans were submitted by concerned builders. Therefore, all such constructions are unauthorised,” RRDA vice-chairman Badri Narayan Das said.

Das said 120 revenue villages fall under the jurisdiction of RRDA. Of these, 61 villages are in the municipal area while 59 villages, where a flood of construction activities ranging from high rise residential and commercial complexes to simple houses are underway, fall outside Ranchi Municipal Corporation limits.

“All such constructions, which are prohibited by state building bylaws and adopted by RRDA, will be demolished. Where such constructions are according to provisions of bylaws, there is scope for regularisation on payment of a penalty,” the RRDA vice chairman stressed. Pointing out areas, Das said most of the illegal constructions were found in Namkum, Booty More and stretches between Argora Chowk and Katahal More.

When asked what RRDA was doing when such “unauthorised” constructions were being carried out, Das conceded that since September last year, following the decision of the state government to transfer the task of approval of building plans from RRDA to Ranchi Municipal Corporation, no action against illegal constructions were initiated.

“Now that the state government has finally decided to allow RRDA to approve building plans once again, we would take action against all such unauthorised activities,” RRDA vice chairman said.

Apart from unauthorised constructions, RRDA would also review setting up of a number of mobile phone towers that have sprouted atop highrise residential and commercial buildings throughout the state capital.

Though the state building bylaws are silent on this point, RRDA would review all such towers that have come up in Ranchi and seek legal advice.