Layout approval in six areas on hold

Layout approval in six areas on hold
BMRDA will lift ban after the completion of masterplan
The Times of india

Bangalore: Land conversion under the BMRDA’s local planning areas will continue to be banned till the completion of the interim masterplan for six towns, that is till December.
A recent high court order to this effect has come as a shot in the arm for the BMRDA, as the court has directed the authorities and deputy commissioner to work in tandem while granting approval.
BMRDA had imposed the ban to prevent unplanned and unregulated activities in the five local planning authorities — Nelamangala, Magadi, Kanakapura, Hoskote, Anekal and Ramanagara-Channapatna — where an interim master plan is being prepared. The BMRDA had asked the revenue department to stop land conversions in the 3,500-odd sq kms area falling under the six towns till December end. Subsequently, BMRDA had stopped layout approvals from July 14. However, this ban is not applicable to areas in BMICAPA and BIAAPA jurisdictions.
Though the high court has observed that the BMRDA cannot impose a general ban, it has made it clear that the power of the deputy commissioner to grant land conversion is to be exercised in concurrence with the BMRDA. If the BMRDA refuses, the deputy commissioner cannot grant permission. Sources in the BMRDA told The Times of India that if the authorities begin layout approvals, then it will open up a ‘pandora’s box’. “Though the court has asked BMRDA to use our discretion, unless the masterplan is finalised, layout approvals cannot be sanctioned. If one layout is sanctioned, then we will be compelled to consider other applications, which will defeat the very purpose of our masterplan. It is a matter of just two more months after which the conversion ban will be removed,’’ officials explained. According to the deputy commissioner’s office, which is looking into land conversions, they have acted on the earlier notification from BMRDA not to approve “development activities’’. “Development activities cannot happen without land conversion. Hence we have not been issuing sanctions,’’ officials said. The interim master plan for these towns is being prepared with the help of ISRO, where satellite images will be compressed with computer applications to get the base maps. The project is estimated to cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
CMCs remain clueless
Bangalore: How can CMCs merge with the city without basic information like number of properties, tax base of the CMC, municipal waste collection...? To thrash out these issues for the great merger — Greater Bangalore — the BMP held a meeting with the commissioners of 7 CMCs on Tuesday.
Incidentally, after the cabinet decision on Greater Bangalore, this is the first meeting wherein CMC commissioners/representatives have been called for deliberations. But at the meeting, the commissioners apparently drew a blank on specific information sought by the BMP. An official said none of them had come prepared and when asked details, they just pointed out where their CMC was on a map.
The excuse that most CMC commissioners had — we are new to the post. Meanwhile, to prepare the blueprint for Greater Bangalore including specifics like population, area density, BMP officials will visit different departments at the CMCs. This is to thrash out the existing revenue, health and staffing patterns.