Essays -A/L

Read the following news item and write an essay on Impact of Unauthorized Constructions on the People.

Unauthorized constructions and land grabbing in the Bambalapitiya Govt. Flats Housing Scheme have been resorted to by certain residents under the very nose of the housing authorities.
In fact, such unauthorized constructions and land grabbing could not have been possible without the connivance and support of some corrupt officials, which will be proved if a probe is held.
Certain residents have constructed illegal extensions to their housing units, in front and behind, encroaching on common (State) land and even covering common drains, demolishing or shifting stairways behind, removing fire exits, changing housing plans without the approval of the NHDA, UDA and the CMC, which is mandatory. Fortresses like enclosures have been erected enclosing common land thereby causing great inconvenience to the residents of the upper floors, adjoining land has been illegally annexed by fencing or putting up six foot walls to be used as personal car parks or partying grounds. Monopolizing of common land by a few is unfair by the vast majority, when in fact; the entitlement is only three feet from the boundary wall of the housing unit of the ground floor residents.
Why no action was taken by the Condominium Management Authority against the unauthorized constructions and land grabbing is surprising when Act provides for taking action even on information or telephone call. That looks fishy. However, recently the unauthorized construction by a resident of Block I was demolished (the only unauthorized construction demolished in the history of the housing scheme) when other monstrous looking unauthorized constructions in the same block, the Block behind and the Blocks on either side of the approach road leading to Block I, have been left alone especially when those illegal constructions were built long before and complaints were lodged with the Condominium Management Authority. That is nothing but discrimination and favoritism which has led to resentment among the residents.

D.N. Aloysius