‘Amendments to Town Planning Act will harm city’

‘Amendments to Town Planning Act will harm city’
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: With the Government easing the process of change of land use by amending the Town Planning Act, the city is facing problems like traffic congestion and parking.

At a debate on ‘Recent Amendments to the Karnataka Town and Country Plan Act 1961’, on preparation of master plan and change of land use organised by the Institute of Town Planners, Karnataka Regional Chapter (ITPI-KRC) Wednesday, director of Town Planning V.M. Hegade said the recent amendments have to be discussed before they are implemented.

He said the word, ‘Development Plan’ has been amended to the ‘Master Plan’and added: ‘‘In most of the so-called well-developed residential extensions like Jayanagar, Indiranagar, Malleswaram, Basavanagudi and Kormangala, a number of commercial complexes, hotels, restaurants, small scale workshops apart from IT firms have come up unauthorisedly.’’

He said authorities had failed to take action against such unauthorised change of land use development.

‘‘This will lead to total disregard to the Master Plan proposals and thereby destroy Bangalore that was hitherto considered a planned city in spite of many shortcoming in terms of infrastructure,’’ he added.

S.C. Kari Gowda former director, department of Town Planning and chairman of Karnataka Regional Chapter, ITPI Prof. B. Bhaskar Rao were also present.