Survey of illegal buildings is going on, says civic chief; HC has pulled up BBMP over such constructions
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is still groping in the dark over the number of buildings that have been constructed without a sanctioned plan, though there is some estimate of the buildings that have deviations.
The civic body is the authority to grant approval to building plans in the city and has been pulled up several times by the High Court of Karnataka over the increase in the number of illegal constructions.
But it has failed to ensure that buildings constructed in the burgeoning city adhere to the building bylaws and the approved plan. While the survey of the buildings with deviations is still on, a parallel survey of buildings constructed without any approved plan from the BBMP is also under way.
The civic body recently submitted to the High Court that of around 6,000 buildings identified, 4,279 had deviated from the sanctioned plan or had been constructed in violation of the building bylaws. This was the survey of buildings constructed between January 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021.
BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta, in his affidavit to the High Court, had stated that a survey of all buildings for which building plans had been approved since January 16, 2007 would be completed by June 4, 2023.
B-khata sites
According to the civic body’s estimate, there were more than 5.7 lakh B-khata properties, of which at least 1.4 lakh are vacant sites. In the light of delay in regularisation of B-khata properties due to legal wrangles, owners of such properties cannot avail of building plan approvals or occupancy/completion certificates from the BBMP or bank loans.
Civic officials said buildings that had come up on B-khata sites would also be included in the survey of illegal constructions. The ward engineers are being roped in for the survey of not just buildings with deviations, but also those that have been constructed without any sanctioned plan.
Mr. Gupta told The Hindu that the BBMP had also submitted its report on buildings with deviations constructed between January 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021, to the High Court. “The survey is ongoing. We will issue notices to the buildings identified to have deviations or no sanctioned plan and demolish them,” he said.
Incidentally, the High Court has given the civic body time till December 9 to submit an action-taken report.
