The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : `Flats near Sankey Tank not approved'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 01, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

`Flats near Sankey Tank not approved'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, AUG. 31. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) has not sanctioned building plans for the proposed real estate project near the Sankey Tank, the BMP Commissioner, K. Jothiramalingam, said on Tuesday.

At the BMP Council's monthly meeting here, the Commissioner told members that Abhishek Developers, which is part of Mantri Developers, had applied for sanction of a plan to develop seven acres (2.8 hectares) of land into five blocks of 18-storey apartments with amenities such as a swimming pool. He said that the BMP had asked the builder to get clearance from the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment as the Centre had recently ruled that any housing project worth more than Rs. 50 crores, which could accommodate over 1,000 people, should have permission from the Environment Ministry.

Commissioner's appeal

Appealing to the people not to make any transaction with the developer, the Commissioner said the BMP would not allow any construction on the tank bed.

Mr. Jothiramalingam said the BMP had recently recovered property tax arrears of over Rs. 39 crores for the land from the builder. "However, this does not mean we have approved the project," he added.

Earlier, the Rajajinagar MLA, N.L.Narendra Babu, raised the issue and sought to know whether the BMP had permitted the project. "If allowed, the construction will infringe on the tank's catchment area and ultimately endanger the tank itself, which was recently rejuvenated at a cost of Rs. 3.5 crores," he said. The BMP Deputy Commissioner (West), H.V. Parshwanath, replied that recently the Karnataka High Court had ordered the Lake Development Authority (LDA), the BMP, the Deputy Conservator of Forests (Bangalore Urban), the Deputy Commissioner (Bangalore Urban) and the Department of Forests and Ecology to submit a report on the effect any construction would have on the tank. "We have informed the court that we have not sanctioned any plan and will not allow any construction on the tank bed," he said.

Illegal buildings

The Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, asked BMP officials to prepare a list of unauthorised buildings in the city.

"Legislation on regularising unauthorised buildings will soon come through," he said.

"If we have the list ready, it will be easy for us to impose compounding fee and regularise them."

"There are several cases where change of land use has been made illegally. Buildings that have come up on such land and also those that violate zonal regulations will be identified," Mr. Ramesh added.

Adalat seeks report

on land — Page 6

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