Bangaloreans see a scheme in Sakrama

Bangaloreans see a scheme in Sakrama
Bangalore, DHNS:
The City on Saturday witnessed a host of protests against Sakrama, the programme to regularise unauthorised constructions and developments.

“Sakrama is akrama”; “the scheme is to just swindle citizens”; “it is taking away the rights of people to live”; “the government cannot justify its decision to collect hefty fines”; “we will not pay the fine come what may”... all these and much more were said by many Bangaloreans while protesting against Sakrama.

It was a show of strength by representatives of various residents’ associations of erstwhile city municipal council and gram panchayat areas when they staged a protest against Sakrama in front of Gandhi statue on M G Road in the morning.

The representatives, while vehemently opposing Sakrama, found no logic in the argument put forth by the government that the plans approved by gram panchayats and City municipality corporations are not legally valid.

Members of the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FKCCI) told BBMP that the prescribed fee to regularise deviations was very high. The scheme should be kept in abeyance till a new government is formed. At a discussion on Sakrama, former law secretary K Ishwar Bhat termed the scheme as unconstitutional and said it defeats the very purpose of the Karnataka Town & Country Planning Act. He was also of the view that the scheme could be stayed through a PIL.

The Congress, meanwhile, continued to protest against Sakrama by staging a protest rally in front of BBMP.
A host of former ministers and former MLAs participated in the protest.