Some 600 building inspectors employed by local authorities throughout the country and the regional planning and building committees began taking organizational steps at the end of the week, against the background of the deadlock in negotiations with the Ministry of Finance and the Local Government Center to arrange the terms of their employment, in view of the amendment made in the Planning and Building Law.
As part of the steps, inspections are not being carried out on construction sites, no enforcement actions are being carried out, there's no issuance of certificates of completion and occupancy permits, and telephone calls are not begin. The amendment to the law is expandsd the powers of the supervisors and stipulated that they should personally distribute financial reports and fines up to NIS 400,000 to those suspected of planning and building offenses. The amendment also requires the inspectors to wear unique uniforms that lead to identification at construction sites, and does not allow them to conduct undercover checks as they could have performed so far.