BENGALURU: Nearly 2,000 applications for building plan approval have been rejected, following a recent Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) order mandating that nod will be given only if the local planning authorities have approved the single plot/layout development plan.
Officials from the BBMP town planning wing said they receive at least 1,000 applications seeking building plan approvals a month. There were nearly 2,000 applications pending since last month, and all were rejected and the applicants asked to get the necessary approvals.
Meanwhile, a group of registered engineers has appealed to BBMP to modify the order in the interest of the public.
According to the order, issued on Oct 3 by BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Giri Nath, there is no restriction on issuing building plan approval for properties or plots having CTS (City Title Survey) number, properties transferred from city municipal councils/town municipal councils/gram panchayats and entered in the A-khata registry, plots from Bangalore Development Authority-approved layouts, plots that have already availed building plan approval and sought nod for revised plan, and plots allotted to beneficiaries from Karnataka Housing Board (KHB), Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board, and other govt bodies.Prasanna BC, a recognised engineer, told TOI the properties located in the core area of BBMP — east, west, and south zone — won’t be affected much as most of them have no issues in getting building plan approval. However, more than 60% of the property owners in Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, RR Nagar, Dasarahalli, and Yelahanka zones will be affected, and they won’t be able to get building plan approval as per the recent Palike order.
“Only 30-40% layouts in these zones have been approved by BDA, KHB, and other area planning authorities. In the remaining 60-70% layouts, there are no approvals from the competent authorities,” he said.
Another engineer, Kiran DS, pointed out that owners of even small plots (including 20ftx30ft and 30ftx40ft) will need approval from BDA, but they can’t get it as 10% of the property will have to be handed over for civic amenities.
According to engineers, people, especially from the poor and middle class, can’t stop constructions just because they can’t get building plan approval from BBMP. They will definitely build houses, and BBMP won’t be able to collect property tax from them. And those who respect the law might not develop their land. So, BBMP will lose the opportunity of collecting tax from these properties, they explained.
The engineers told TOI BBMP can cancel these orders if the state govt amends the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. The team of architects is planning to explain the consequences of the recent BBMP order to the govt and request it to take steps to allow property owners to get building plan approval from BBMP more easily.
The engineers also fear that the new order throws open the window for more developments that could be inimical to property owners.
“Many property owners in layouts without plan approval have managed to get A-khata for their property by paying betterment charges. But now, these properties too will not get building plan approvals as they lack single plot/layout plan permissions and their A-khata will be reverted to B-khata,” explained Prasanna.
Another engineer explained that those who have already got A-khata in the outer areas of BBMP can enjoy it as long as they own that property, but will face trouble if and when they sell it or transfer the khata to someone else’s name. “When they approach BBMP for khata transfer, the Palike will identify the property lacks layout approval. So, it will revert the property from A khata to B khata,” he added.
