Hastening the city's ruin: Change of land use made easy

Change of land use made easy
The Times of India

Bangalore: Changing the use of your land from industrial to commercial or commercial to residential will not be a cumbersome process anymore. In a radical move, the state government has brought in a legislation to make change-of-land-use procedure hassle-free by amending the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.

Henceforth, if a change in land use from commercial and industrial to residential and from industrial to commercial have to be effected, the applicant can get it done across the counter by paying the specified fee. This change will be done by the City Development Authority or the town planning department.

Speaking to The Times of India, urban development secretary P. Ravi Kumar said earlier, the change in land use had to be decided at the government level, which would take at least a year. But with the new legislation, it can be done within no time.

“If the change in land use is from commercial or industrial to residential; from industrial to commercial, stipulated fee is paid and the local planning authority is informed prior to effecting the change, permission for such a change shall be deemed to have been given,’’ the government order says.

Earlier, each ‘change of land use’ application had to go through the Town Planning Authority, objections were called in from neighbours, spot inspections had to be done, file had to move from one department to the other and finally, a decision taken at the government level.

The government decided to simplify it because of the increasing urbanisation and changing work profiles. For instance: The Rajajinagar industrial area situated close to a residential hub is not an active industrial zone any more. If industrialists want to convert their premises into a commercial outlet, they can now do it without any bureaucratic rigmarole. Or a property with commercial land use in a residential area can change to residential use by just paying the fee.

Bangalore has the highest number of violations of ‘change in land use’. For instance: the BDA had identified more than 500 IT firms and other commercial ventures functioning from residential buildings in areas like Jayanagar, Indiranagar, Koramangala and B.T.M. Layout.

Notices were served and orders were issued to vacate the residential premises. Similarly, BDA has zeroed in on establishments that have come up in violation of land use in 25 major streets of four areas Koramangala, Indiranagar, Jayanagar from first to ninth block and Banashankari second and third stage. Apart from the illegal change in land use, the building deviations range from 50% to 100% and are in the form of shops, commercial complexes, industries, nursing homes and IT firms. While these plots were sanctioned originally for residential purposes, they were utilised for commercial activities without ‘change of land use’ approved by authorities.

Done in seconds
Karnataka government has brought in a legislation to make ‘change of land use’ procedure hassle-free by amending Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.

Now, if a ‘change in land use’ from industrial to residential or industrial to commercial has to be effected, the applicant can get it done across the counter by paying fee.
The government decided to simplify it because of increasing urbanisation and changing work profiles.
Bangalore has the highest number of violations of ‘change in land use’.