In a blatant violation of norms, people residing around the historic Quila Mubarak here are erecting concrete structures right under the nose of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) authorities.

Some persons constructed a shop's roof, adjacent to the boundary wall of the fort on its left side last night. Sources said the ASI staff had come to know about the matter, but they didn't report the matter to the police to check the unauthorised construction. The Kotwali SHO confirmed that he didn't receive any formal complaint from the ASI staff in this regard.

Similarly, construction work is also going on right in front of the fort, where another floor has been raised over a shop. Sources said with the rapid commercialisation of the area around the fort, people residing in its vicinity were converting their homes into shops and were adding up floors on top of the houses for their accommodation.

According to the Ancient Monuments Act, no construction activity could be undertaken on the protected (where the monument exists) and prohibited (within 100 metres of the monument) area. Such activities in another 200 metres had to be regulated so as to protect the monument. Sources said only repair work was allowed in the existing buildings around the monument and that too after obtaining a no objection certificate (NOC) from the ASI.

Sources said in some cases the violators had exploited this condition and had added floors on their buildings after getting NOC for repair work. Sources said the ASI had served notices to violators, but they were of little consequence as the unauthorised structures had already come up.

Taking a serious notice of the illegal constructions, The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Rahul Bhandari, has decided to take up the matter with the ASI's Chandigarh office. He said he had received letters from the local ASI office regarding unauthorised constructions around the fort in the past, but "it was too late" as the constructions were over by that time. "The need of the hour is to check these constructions at the starting point. We are ready to cooperate in any joint action by the MC and the ASI to check illegal constructions," he added.

On the other hand, the conservation assistant, Mr PD Shinde, was reluctant to talk to this correspondent over the issue and said only the higher ups could comment on the matter. The ASI staff at the Chandigarh office also failed to come out with any convincing reply on the illegal constructions.