The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Congress demands withdrawal of ‘Sakrama’ by November 30

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 27, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Congress demands withdrawal of ‘Sakrama’ by November 30

Staff Reporter

The party threatens to intensify stir from December 1

‘The scheme is a conspiracy by the former
JD(S)-BJP Government’
‘Bill to amend the KMC Act was introduced on the last day of the Assembly session in Belgaum’

BANGALORE: Opposing the State Government’s Sakrama scheme, members of the Bangalore City District Congress Committee have demanded that the scheme be withdrawn by November 30, failing which they will launch an intensified stir from December 1. Addressing presspersons here on Monday, the Committee President Ramalinga Reddy, who is also the Jayanagar MLA, urged Governor Rameshwar Thakur to withdraw the scheme as it is aimed only at exploiting the common man.

Protest

“We will stage a massive protest in front of Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) office on December 1 and present a memorandum to the Governor seeking withdrawal of the scheme,” said Mr. Reddy.

‘Exploiting citizens’

The scheme is a conspiracy by the former Janata Dal (Secular) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition Government to exploit citizens. It is beneficial only for builders and developers and not for the common man, who will be forced to take loans to get violations on his property regularised, Mr. Reddy said.

Last day

Basavanagudi MLA K. Chandrashekar alleged that the Bill to amend the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (KMC) Act, to facilitate regularisation of unauthorised constructions, was introduced at 11.45 p.m. on the last day of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly’s session in Belgaum.

“There was no one to oppose the Bill at that unearthly hour and the ruling JD(S)-BJP combine approved it in a jiffy,” he said.

The Bill

Malleshwaram MLA M.R. Seetharam said that the Bill did not specify the minute details of the rules that have been framed to regularise unauthorised constructions. “The officials have framed the rules according to their whims and fancies.

Though the rules are applicable for properties in all the corporations of Karnataka, we do not understand why BBMP is aggressively implementing it,” he said.

‘Scheme is a curse’

Mr. Reddy said the scheme was a curse on the common man. “He would have paid bribes to officials while constructing a house. He is now forced to again pay a penalty to get the same house regularised. If the officials had stopped him during the construction stage, he would not have gone ahead,” he said.

The former Mayor P.R. Ramesh condemned Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike’s decision to disconnect the water and power supply of those who do not opt for the scheme and said these basic amenities were outside the purview of the civic body.

“We will apprise the Governor about all the issues and urge him to withdraw the scheme,” added Mr. Ramesh.

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