The Hindu 25.03.2010
‘Focus on emerging crisis in town planning in Mysore'
Special Correspondent
| Change in land-use policies destroying orderly growth: MGP |
MYSORE: The Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) has cautioned that frequent change in land-use policies by the local authorities was destroying the foundations of the orderly growth of the city.
In a letter to Minister for Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar, the MGP has drawn his attention to a few important issues that will have a bearing on the future of the city.
B. Vaikunth Shenoy of the MGP pointed out that the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) was liberal in according permission to change the land-use from residential to commercial as a result of which shops, commercial complexes, hotels and garages proliferated in residential localities, causing nuisance to people.
He referred to Section 14(a)(1) of the Karnataka Town And Country Planning Act, 1961, and pointed out that change in land-use could be effected only in the interests of the people. Refuting MUDA's justification that permitting change in land-use from residential to commercial would help people to procure merchandise locally and create more jobs, the MGP said these reasons were far from the truth and were ludicrous.
“These areas already have shops and if some more are allowed, they will only benefit their owners and not the public. Secondly, if creation of jobs is a valid public interest reason, can one permit a factory which creates many jobs to come up on a residential site?” Mr. Shenoy asked and urged the MUDA not to grant permission for a change in land-use.
Mr. Shenoy said the MGP had repeatedly opposed any change in land-use and had filed 50 objections, but the MUDA routinely ignored them.
The MGP drew the attention of the Minister to permission being accorded for construction of apartments on residential sites and said even though, such buildings were for residential purposes, they were in commercial nature according to a High Court order. Therefore, building apartments on residential sites without obtaining permission for land-use change was a violation of rules and the Comprehensive Development Plan. But the local authorities routinely allowed such buildings to be constructed and though the MGP had brought such violations to the MUDA's notice, the latter did not act, Mr. Shenoy said.
Referring to the emerging scenario of MUDA's liberal permission to change agricultural land for residential and non-agricultural purposes, the MGP underscored several negative consequences of such a practice and said that it encouraged speculation in real estate.
But one of the worst outcomes of liberal permission to change the land-use pattern is the blow to the concept of integrated city planning, according to Mr. Shenoy. He said the concept would become meaningless as hundreds of small layouts would mushroom everywhere which would be an eyesore and make it difficult to abide by the town planning regulations.
The MGP urged the Minister to pay attention to the emerging crisis in town planning in Mysore.
