The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction is on the hunt for illegal construction projects in Phnom Penh.
Its General Department of Construction director Pak Chanphol said on Sunday that his office is requiring owners of houses, buildings and guesthouses without construction permits to ask for construction certificates.
Chanphol said the reason is to help owners comply with technical standards if their buildings are not up to code.
“When they come to ask for [construction certificates], we don’t just issue them. We have to check first. If it is correct according to the standards, we facilitate it. But if it is wrong, we tell them it is wrong. They have to tear down their buildings, accordingly,” he said.
He added that some people don’t understand construction law and many people build without technical standards. To enforce the law, the ministry must manage them.
“They didn’t ask for permits. Now, we have to help them follow the law,” he said.
A notice issued by the ministry said all owners who have construction permits, letters of opening and closing construction sites before November 2, 2019, have to request construction certificates.
Similarly, for construction that were built before December 20, 1997, those owners can request construction certificates as well.
After the law on construction became effective, the General Department of Construction gave building owners two years from November 2, 2019, to November 2, 2021, to request for the certificates.
Penalties will apply if they fail to follow the law and the deadline expires.