Urban News

Source : The Hindu Date : 28.06.2009

Housing schemes must be in accordance with master plans: Upalokayukta

Raghava M.

Patri Basavanagoud

BANGALORE: Upalokayukta G. Patri Basavanagoud has directed the Government to ensure that housing schemes in cities should be in accordance with the master plans of respective cities.

Censuring violation of master plans by housing agencies, Mr. Goud said: “Master plans prepared with an objective of providing recreational facilities and civic amenities … should not be allowed to be defeated by statutory organisations such as Karnataka Housing Board (KHB).”

In his letters to the principal secretaries, Urban Development and Housing departments, recently, Mr. Goud asked the two departments to issue instructions and ensure that approved housing plans/schemes were not violated to grant additional housing units/sites by eating away the areas reserved for “public purpose”. The letters come in the light of an inquiry into a complaint filed in 2007 by D. Shravankumar of Bidar.

The complainant had alleged that the Assistant Executive Engineer of the KHB had two residential sites in the land meant for a park and a school in Bidar. The inquiry revealed that the KHB approved the housing scheme (layout plan) during 2001-02 and modified it the next year. Both the plans show areas designated for the park and the school.

Both the areas have been used for forming residential sites without taking mandatory clearances.

“The approval for the layout plan (modified) is accorded by the Bidar Urban Development Authority (UDA) and communicated to the KHB only after the complaint was filed with this institution,” Mr. Goud said.

The KHB, he said, had developed the area before obtaining the approval of the Bidar UDA.

It had gone ahead with the change in land use (from park and civic amenity to residential sites) without getting the approval of the Bidar UDA for the modified plan as mandated under the provisions of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.

“The whole process of plan preparation, approval and modification (the changes effected in the original plan to provide for additional sites) happened in the office of the Housing Commissioner in Bangalore,” Mr. Goud said.

Though the modifications done by the KHB in Bidar may not be a “major development (change)” in land use, Mr. Goud said, “ … in larger interest of planned development of towns and cities in general … such proposals should be discouraged as they take away the areas reserved for parks and civic amenities.”

However, in exceptional situations, modifications should be given effect only after obtaining the approval of the Urban Planning Authority or the Town Planning Authority, Mr. Goud said.

Source : The Hindu Date : 28.06.2009

A.P. gram panchayats to be upgraded to municipalities

Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD: The Municipal Administration and Urban Department in Andhra Pradesh have been asked to identify gram panchayats with a population of 40,000 for upgradation to municipalities.

The suggestion came from Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy at the Collector’s conference on Saturday during a discussion on Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns . Officials brought to his notice that funds to the tune of crores of rupees granted to the State under the JNNURM were not being utilised completely.