Over 3,200 illegal construction cases are clogging the State’s panchayat judicial system, reflecting a deliberate weakening of local governance in favour of the construction lobby.
Illegal construction poses serious environmental threats, with buildings encroaching on protected areas, green belts, forests, and floodplains, destroying fragile ecosystems and biodiversity.
To address this growing menace, authorities must strictly enforce zoning laws and use tools such as satellite imagery and AI to detect unauthorised developments in real time. Failure to act promptly often points to collusion or negligence, and officials who permit or ignore violations must face criminal and departmental action.
Homebuyers tempted by unusually cheap properties must exercise due diligence. Buildings with serious legal flaws should face demolition without compensation, and RERA registration must be mandatory for new projects.
Meanwhile, state-driven regularisation schemes, encroachments on comunidade lands, and election-time promises continue to leave residents in prolonged uncertainty, with departments passing blame instead of fixing the problem.
