Mantri project illegal: BCC

While the move to identify other illegal constructions is long overdue, regularizing them instead of restoring the land to its original use, will only encourage more such illegal constructions.


TIMES OF INDIA
Housing project near Sankey Lake is illegal, warns BCC

Bangalore: The Bangalore City C o r p o r at i o n (BCC) has clarified that it has not sanctioned the building plan for the housing complex by Sankey Lake being mooted by a private developer. The BCC has now issued a public notice (see box) in this regard.

BCC commissioner K. Jothiramalingam told corporators at the council meeting on Tuesday that Mantri Developers, who proposed to construct the complex on a six-acre plot have title deed only for five acres.
Rajajinagar MLA N.L. Narendra Babu informed the House that the developers have already started advertising for the flats when the legality of the project is unclear. “Please do not kill the lake which has been rejuvenated recently. Why do you allow housing complexes to come up around the vicinity of the water body? Who authorised them to begin construction without any sanction?” Babu questioned.

Deputy commissioner, west, Parshwanath said when Mantri Developers applied for building plan licence, the BCC found that property tax for the land was pending for a few years. “A sum of Rs 39 lakh was collected towards the tax. Then the residents protested asking us to cancel the project. A PIL was filed and the authorities presented the facts before the court,’’ Parshwanath said.

Further, the BCC received a shot in the arm when the Union government issued a circular on July 7 stating that any building project — commercial or residential —which is more than Rs 50 crore should be cleared by the Central environment ministry. The BCC placed this circular before the court and sent the file to the Union government. The BCC also informed the developers that permission from the civic body has been rejected.

Mayor P.R. Ramesh, who expressed unhappiness over the mushrooming of highrise apartments and commercial buildings in the city without BCC’s approval, instructed the commissioner to conduct a survey on the number of illegal buildings in the city and initiate action.

PUBLIC, WATCH OUT

The BCC has issued the following statement to the public.
With regard to the advertisement appearing in newspapers, leading magazines and websites by Abhishek Developers on the proposed residential apartment on site number 277, II main, T. Chowdaiah Road next to Sankey Tank, Malleswaram, the BCC wishes to offer the following clarification for the public. The BCC has not sanctioned any plan for construction of this residential apartment building. The public are therefore advised to be careful before making any transaction with the developer

DECCAN HERALD

Illegal buildings to come under scanner

The issue of building apartments next to the Sankey tank raised a debate and the Mayor asked the BMP to carry out a survey of illegal constructions.

BANGALORE, DHNS:

Mayor P R Ramesh on Tuesday asked Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) officials to take up a survey of unauthorised constructions and structures in the city to assess the quantum of deviation from building by-laws that have happened across the City.

The issue came up when corporator and MLA N L Narendra Babu raised the issue of how a prominent builder group has begun advertising and calling for buyers of apartments it plans to build next to Sankey Tank.

“The Sankey Tank has been recently rejuvenated at a considerable cost by the BMP. These builders plan to build a block of 18-storey apartments next to the tank, in the catchment area.”

“They have even advertised in brochures, selling the flats at Rs 1.25 crore. How can this be permitted?” Mr Babu asked, during the BMP Council meeting.
In response, BMP Commissioner K Jothiramalingam said that the builders -- Abhishek Developers -- have not got any plan sanction or requisite approvals from the BMP for the proposed apartment.

“They had submitted a proposal for our approval, but we returned it on two grounds -- first, they don’t have clear title to one acre of the six-acre plot of land where the apartments are to come up.”

“Secondly, any project costing over Rs 50 crore and emitting sewage beyond a particular limit must get clearance from the Union Environment Ministry first. So we sent back the project proposal. We have not given any approvals and we don’t know what is happening on this site.”
“We have however collected property tax arrears of Rs 39 lakh,” Mr Jothiramalingam said.

In an official release issued later, the BMP made clear that the public are advised to be careful before making any transactions with Abhishek Developers over the proposed residential apartment at site no. 277, II Main, T Chowdaiah Road (beside Astra Ideal Chemical Factory), next to Sankey Tank.

Mr Babu further pointed out that change of land-use and violation of zonal regulations was common, particularly in industrial areas such as Goreguntepalya and Bidadi, where prominent builders have taken up building of residential apartments.

The Mayor, expressing indignation, asked the Commissioner to take up a survey of by-passing of by-laws on buildings, norms on distance from electricity lines and violation of zonal and land-use regulations.

“Such a survey will also help identify lapses which can be regularised with penalties,” Mr Ramesh said.

THE HINDU

`Flats near Sankey Tank not approved'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, AUG. 31. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has not sanctioned building plans for the proposed real estate project near the Sankey Tank, the BMP Commissioner, K. Jothiramalingam, said on Tuesday.

At the BMP Council's monthly meeting here, the Commissioner told members that Abhishek Developers, which is part of Mantri Developers, had applied for sanction of a plan to develop seven acres (2.8 hectares) of land into five blocks of 18-storey apartments with amenities such as a swimming pool. He said that the BMP had asked the builder to get clearance from the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment as the Centre had recently ruled that any housing project worth more than Rs. 50 crores, which could accommodate over 1,000 people, should have permission from the Environment Ministry.

Commissioner's appeal

Appealing to the people not to make any transaction with the developer, the Commissioner said the BMP would not allow any construction on the tank bed.

Mr. Jothiramalingam said the BMP had recently recovered property tax arrears of over Rs. 39 crores for the land from the builder. "However, this does not mean we have approved the project," he added.

Earlier, the Rajajinagar MLA, N.L.Narendra Babu, raised the issue and sought to know whether the BMP had permitted the project. "If allowed, the construction will infringe on the tank's catchment area and ultimately endanger the tank itself, which was recently rejuvenated at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crores," he said. The BMP Deputy Commissioner (West), H.V. Parshwanath, replied that recently the Karnataka High Court had ordered the Lake Development Authority (LDA), the BMP, the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Bangalore Urban), the Deputy Commissioner (Bangalore Urban) and the Department of Forests and Ecology to submit a report on the effect any construction would have on the tank. "We have informed the court that we have not sanctioned any plan and will not allow any construction on the tank bed," he said.

Illegal buildings

<> The Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, asked BMP officials to prepare a list of unauthorised buildings in the city. "Legislation on regularising unauthorised buildings will soon come through," he said. "If we have the list ready, it will be easy for us to impose compounding fee and regularise them." "There are several cases where change of land use has been made illegally. Buildings that have come up on such land and also those that violate zonal regulations will be identified," Mr. Ramesh added.