The Municipal Corporation Jalandhar has issued a formal notice to Country Inn over serious alleged violations of building and operational rules as the hotel located on GT Road has come under scrutiny after officials found that it was operating without obtaining a mandatory completion certificate and according to the notice issued by the Municipal Town Planner the hotel had already started its business activities despite not having the required final approval document which is considered a direct violation of Section 276 of the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act 1976 that clearly states that no commercial building can be occupied or used without a completion certificate issued by the civic authority.
The notice strictly directs the hotel owner to submit the completion certificate within three days of receiving the letter and officials have also warned that if the hotel fails to comply within the given deadline sealing action may be initiated against the property and in such a case all costs related to the action would have to be borne by the owner.
This action is not an isolated case as the civic body has also taken similar action against Mariton Hotel Jalandhar which has been accused of operating without proper approvals and in that case complaints alleged that the hotel started functioning without obtaining the mandatory completion certificate while adding to the concerns an RTI-based response revealed that there is no sewer line outside Mariton Hotel raising serious questions about whether basic infrastructure requirements were fulfilled before operations began.
Municipal Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Rishi has confirmed that notices have been issued to both hotels and they have been asked to respond within a fixed time frame and while the official communication mentions a three-day deadline for submitting the completion certificate Rishi mentions a allow up to ten days for a detailed reply and if the responses are not found satisfactory strict action including sealing of the properties may follow later.
Sources suggest that during inspections multiple technical and administrative violations were observed and which include non-compliance with building standards, lack of proper safety clearances and failure to meet operational conditions required for commercial establishments and after vigilance checks objections were raised and the case was escalated with the file reportedly cleared at the level of the Municipal Commissioner for further action.
The issue has triggered concern among local business owners and residents many of whom are questioning how such large commercial establishments were allowed to function without complete approvals and it has also created uncertainty for customers especially those with existing bookings at these hotels while for now the next step depends entirely on the response from the hotel managements and if they fail to provide valid documents and clear explanations sealing of the properties could become a reality.
