Panel to decide on illegal layouts in green belt

Panel to decide on illegal layouts in green belt
The Hindu

BANGALORE: An independent committee headed by P.S.S. Thomas, a retired civil servant, will decide the fate of unauthorised layouts in the green belt, M.N. Vidyashankar, Commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), said on Monday.

The five-member committee, which has only one government official, has been set up to review suggestions and recommendations made by the public on the comprehensive draft Master Plan 2015. The committee will take decisions based on public opinion within a week or two, Mr. Vidyashankar said at the inauguration of the public viewing of maps and documents pertaining to the master plan. These will be on display at "Yavanika" on Nrupathunga Road till September 12.

Members of the public and realtors who studied the maps said they hoped the committee's decision will lead to the withdrawal of the Government Order on registration of land.

Mr. Vidyashankar said the BDA submitted a report on unauthorised structures in the city, including those in the green belt, to the High Court of Karnataka sometime ago. It is impossible for the BDA to police the greenbelt area and prevent development of unauthorised layouts. "We just do not have the wherewithal to do it," he added.

According to the draft plan, over 220 sq.km of the green belt, including agricultural lands, mainly in the eastern part of the city, has been opened up for development. Compared with the 742 sq.km green belt allotted in the 1995 CDP, the draft Master Plan 2015 provides only 565 sq.km. of green cover. "Some of the green cover is barren land, and we are using portions of it to accommodate the growing population," Mr. Vidyashankar said. The population is growing at the rate of 3.5 per cent a year, he added. A part of the BDA's proposed layout with 50,000 sites will be in the green belt.

The master plan proposes to focus on protecting the area around the Tippagondanahalli Reservoir, tankbeds and valleys in the city to prevent flooding of low-lying areas during rains and help recharge the water table.