BENGALURU Volunteers call on Karnataka Lokayukta to instruct BBMP Chief Commissioner to publish illegal construction data and notices online
A group of volunteers has submitted a memorandum to the Karnataka Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta, urging action to prevent unauthorised building construction following the recent collapse of an illegal multi-story building that led to the tragic death of nine workers.
They accused Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineers of rampant corruption and allowing illegal construction, stating that their failure to act has led to significant revenue loss for the BBMP. “The corruption among the BBMP engineers is the main reason for the construction of buildings without plan and approval in the city. The property owners must pay fees to avail of building plans from the BBMP. Property owners constructing
buildings illegally do not pay any fees, except bribing engineers, to the civic body. This results in revenue loss for the BBMP. It also encourages disorderly growth of the city,’’ said Veeresh BH, an RTI activist.
The activists said that they were aware of Lokayukta and Upa Lokayukta inspected the building that collapsed at Anjanadri Layout near Hennur and registered a suo motu case. They said that more than five lakh illegal buildings were constructed in the city and among them one lakh residential apartment complexes were constructed without approval. “BBMP authorities are not supposed to sanction a plan for constructing a building on the site that has B khata. Though lakhs of buildings were constructed, the BBMP does not have data on the demolition of illegal buildings in the last 10 years,’’ Veeresh said.The activists demanded Karnataka Lokayukta to direct the BBMP Chief Commissioner to provide data on the BBMP website on illegal constructions and the notices issued to the property owners.
“I blame the BBMP Chief Commissioner for illegal constructions and the death of innocent and hapless workers in the recent building collapse incident. I urge the Deputy Chief Minister to replace the BBMP Chief Commissioner without any delay and appoint a sincere IAS officer instead to avoid further damage to the city. The present Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister were against the BBMP Chief Commissioner when they were in opposition. I do not know why they allow the Chief Commissioner to continue in office,’’ said HM Venkatesh of Naija Horatagarara Vedike.
Lack of proper site inspections and scrutiny has led to rampant violations and poor construction qualityVinod Jacob, Namma Bengaluru
Vinod Jacob of Namma Bengaluru Foundation emphasised the need for a significant overhaul in BBMP’s operations, asserting that no construction occurs without their knowledge. He stated it is their duty to inspect and approve only those plans that meet the city’s standards and building bye-laws. “The lack of proper site inspections and scrutiny has led to rampant violations and poor construction quality, resulting in building collapse, loss of life and also flooding. These zoning violations are causing significant revenue losses for the city,’’ said Vinod Jacob.
