The Hindu 02.08.2012
MCC warns against using basements for purposes other than parking
The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) has warned against the
use of basements in multi-storeyed buildings and apartments for
commercial ventures.
But this “warning” is the latest
in a series of such announcements made over many years without any
concrete results. Hence, stakeholders, including NGOs, suspect that
little will emerge from this latest announcement.It is common knowledge
that some multi-storeyed buildings have converted basements for
commercial ventures, the most common usage being restaurants and food
joints, while the other popular uses for holding furniture exhibitions,
and starting mobile showrooms, footwear shops and garment shops.
The
authorities turned a blind eye to the issue a few years ago, when the
number of vehicles in the city was within manageable limits and there
was ample parking space on the streets. But the in the last few years,
people’s growing aspirations and relatively higher disposable income
have resulted in the city’s population of nearly a million people being
on a par with the number of vehicles on the road.
‘Half-hearted attempts’
H.V.S. Murthy, advocate and secretary of the Federation of Taxpayers’ Associations, told
The Hindu
that the MCC made half-hearted attempts a few years ago to address the
issue by going to the root of the problem — encroachment of pavements.
But after demolishing a few kiosks, it relapsed into a state of slumber
only to wake up to the problem and come out with a “caution notice”.
Hence, the violators too had stopped taking notice or warnings
seriously, Mr. Murthy said.
In the throes of rapid
urbanisation and population growth, Mysore’s skyline has altered in
recent years amidst a flurry of construction activity and the
proliferation of commercial space. But in the absence of parking
facilities, footpaths have been encroached by vehicles and it is the
safety of pedestrians that has been compromised.
The
MCC woke up to the issue again in 2009, and the then Commissioner K.S.
Raykar said the authorities had identified buildings constructed in
violation of approved plans that failed to create space for parking in
the basement. He had also warned that the trade licence of such builders
would be cancelled, but there was little follow-up action.
As
recently as 2011, the MCC claimed that it had identified 226 structures
that had violated the building plan by not creating parking facilities
in basements. However, nothing emerged out of the exercise.
Action threatened
Meanwhile,
the MCC in a release has warned owners of such buildings to strictly
adhere to the prescribed norms and use basements only for vehicle
parking. Notice has been issued to owners of such properties, and they
have been warned to get the basements vacated within a week, failing
which the MCC will not only penalise the owners but also launch a drive
to clear such basements and recover the cost of operations from the
property owners.
