Illegal buildings raise concerns

SHANGHAI - Four residential buildings in East China's Jiangsu province, each originally designed to be six stories tall, have reached as high as 22 stories despite warnings from local construction authorities.

The blatant violation has now resulted in nearby estates developing cracks and wall crevices.

Construction on four buildings of Boda New City, located in downtown Lianyungang, started in early 2007. According to the original design plan approved in 2002, the buildings would each have six floors. Lianyungang Boda Real Estate Development Company, the developer, requested permission to add another 11 stories to each of the structures.