Deccan Herald 03.09.2013
Law no bar for construction at BDA site
The Banashankari 6th stage extension, a layout
carved out by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), is awaiting
approval from the BDA board. Houses coming up there could be held
illegal without the approval.
The BDA rule book says it
is mandatory to get the plan approved by the board before formation of
the layout. The Banashankari 6th stage extension, however, is awaiting
approval 10 years after its formation. Strangely, not only were several
houses constructed, but real estate business is also thriving in the
area.
BDA commissioner T Sham Bhatt has admitted that the layout
is yet to get the board’s approval. “The houses there are like houses
under any village panchayat limits, but they are illegal,” said Bhatt.
Despite absence of the approval, the BDA’s Bangalore south division
continues to sanction building plans and collect property taxes.
Venkatarayana Kere, a lake bed in survey number 8 of Gubbalala village,
Deccan Herald filed an RTI query seeking the approved layout plan.
N
S Shamanna, Deputy Director (West), Town Planning, BDA, replied: “The
Town Planning division has not approved the layout in Sy No-8 of
Gubbalala village.” A copy of this reply has been forwarded to the
engineering division, from where the applicant can avail information.”
The engineering division has not given a reply in two months.
A BDA
engineer requesting anonymity said Banashankari 6th stage was approved
in 2009, but the extension comprising around 6,000 sites is yet to get
the board’s nod.
“In a day or two, approval for the extension will be given,” he said.
The layout was mired in controversy since inception.
The
BDA had encroached upon Thurahalli forest land. The forest department
woke up to media reports on the encroachment and recovered large swathes
of land. Besides, there were issues regarding denotification of
acquired land, which prevented the BDA from approving the layout.
This
apart, the BDA filled Venkatarayana Kere and carved out 130 small sites
of 600 sq ft each. Though the site was around 2 km from Banashankari
6th stage, it was included in the 6th stage extension. The BDA board is
all set to approve the lake bed layout, though it finds a mention in
revenue records and village map as a lake.
Local activist
Uttarahalli Nagaraj expressed shock over the revelation. He questioned
how the BDA allotted sites, sanctioned building plans and collected
property taxes in the absence of a layout plan approval.