Urban planners have overlooked violations

Urban planners have overlooked violations
The Hindu

Flouting of building bylaws does not happen overnight. Our readers feel that demolition is not the answer. Stricter monitoring and official involvement is the way out.

Will demolition help?

A typical example of closing the barn doors after the horses have bolted! How does a demolition spree help now when not just minor deviations, but even floors were allowed to be added? There will always be debate on whether software firms can be clubbed with noisy industries, which add to pollution. It just shows every large construction should be monitored and zoning or building bylaw violations checked before they happen.

K. Mukund,

Banaswadi

The real losers

It took petitions from concerned citizens and a stern court to achieve what the civic administration obviously could or just would not do. Why allow violations, let the "violators" do business for years together and then suddenly be forced to take action?

In the recent instance, many who suffered were companies who unwittingly took space on lease at a huge rent and then employed hundreds of personnel. They are the real losers.

Susheela Oommen,

Indiranagar

Connivance of officials

The growth in real estate and profit motive will make property owners violate building and zonal regulations with the connivance of officials. Since there are violations by more than 75 per cent from approved plans, it is time the building bylaws are reviewed and 25 per cent violations compounded, as has been mooted by the Government. This will check corruption and reduce the anguish of property owners.

K.T. Thimmareddy,

R.T. Nagar

A lesson for many

For years together our urban planners have overlooked what was happening in front of their eyes. When the highest court in the State pulls them up, they have no choice but to take action, however belated it may be.

There is a lesson here for companies that take office space on lease: before paying large amounts, they should find out if the building owner has violated any law.

Latha Venkatesh,

Jayanagar

"Large-scale" malpractice

Check building law violations by all means but do not let innocent tenants and their employees become victims. Does the civic body not check constructions going on to verify whether they are in accordance with approved plans?

Large-scale building violations cannot take place without "large-scale malpractice" in the Town Planning Department. At the same time, software firms should not be equated with other industries; they provide more jobs and create wealth for the city.

Karen Anand,

Austin Town

Investigation must

Nobody expects Bangalore to go back to being a "pensioners' paradise" but it cannot become an overcrowded urban sprawl either. Checking building law and zoning violations is one way to prevent this. There is need for a full-fledged investigation into how such large-scale violations were allowed in the first place.

K. Ramamurthy,

Malleswaram

Ignorance is not an excuse

Commercial activities do disturb peace in residential areas. No intelligent person, certainly not those starting IT companies, can claim to be ignorant of zoning laws. They should make sure that no law is broken before taking space on lease or buying property.

In practically every quiet neighbourhood in the older parts of the city, commercial establishments have come up. Not just small businesses, even small factories.

It is time this tendency is checked.

D. Manjunath,

Lingarajapuram

Give time to relocate

One should not overlook building law violations, but for hundreds of buildings in the same area to have broken the laws speak volumes for the honesty and efficiency of our civic officials. It just may not be possible for so many thriving business establishments to suddenly relocate.

The courts should give time for the occupants of such buildings to shift and the civic administration should think of penalties rather than demolition. A humanitarian outlook is necessary.

Sudha Nagaraj,

Malleswaram

NEXT WEEK: Thousands of young men and women, many from other parts of the country and staying far away from their families, are working in the BPO/ call centres in Bangalore. While they may be well paid and have all physical comforts at their workplace, the question of their security from criminal elements has become critical; many call centre staff have been victims of criminals in recent times.