SARGODHA, June 10: The aircraft are threatened by illegal constructions going on in Sargodha with impunity owing to the alleged corruption of tehsil municipal administration officials.

According to building bylaws approved some three decades ago by the authorities of Sargodha Airbase, the Cantonment Board and the defunct Municipal Corporation, the height of a building cannot be more than 23 feet within the Cantonment Board area and 39 feet within the city for the safety of aircraft.

Some influential people are reportedly violating the rules after greasing the palms of officials concerned. Most of the plazas are being constructed in the city for their site plans have been approved with the blessings of building contractors.

The tehsil municipal administration is not raising any objection to these illegal construction.

A few years back, the Cantonment authorities had bulldozed a building built by a doctor at a cost of Rs2 million. The doctor had no building plan approved.

One such plaza is being raised in Satellite Town and its height has gone up to 70 feet, much more than the permissible limit.

Opposition member Rana Liaquat Ali and former MNA Haji Muhammad Ali Kachela alleged that the plaza owner had provided Rs1 million to a TMA’s top official. For this purpose, a meeting was to be held at Jinnah Hall on Friday (yesterday). However, the meeting had to be postponed after the issue was brought to the notice of the PAF authorities and for fear of not getting the support of required number of members.

TMA planning officer Abrar Husain said that according to building rules, no single authority could violate the combined charter of building height approved by three institutions for the safety of aircraft.

In addition, the people have installed tall wireless telephone towers in violation of rules, but no institution is taking action against them.