BBMP

Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBBMP) on February 17th 2014 presented a Budget of Rs 7773.08 crore for 2014-15. However, there are not many new projects, while the emphasis is made on paying pending bills and continuing spill over works. Debt-ridden cash-strapped BBMP had come under fire in last July for presenting an imaginative Budget of Rs 8498 crore. Out of the expected Rs 8445,26 crore, BBMP could collect only Rs 3208.95 crore. This reduced the estimated expenditure for 2013-14 to Rs 3236.15 crore, and the pending payments and announced works in the last Budget spilled over to the 2014-15 Budget.…

Lake encroachment is rampant in Bangalore. This time, it is the turn of Somasundarapalya Lake near HSR Layout. About three days ago, residents of HSR layout reported that several tractors were offloading debris into Somasundarapalya Lake, also called Haralukunte Kere. The once healthy lake is now headed the way of the many lakes that no longer see the light of day. Repeated complaints to the police have failed to bring any attention to the matter. Concerned residents have written to several administrative bodies, including the Chief Minister, local police authorities, the BDA, BBMP and BMTF, in the hope that some…

  As soon as the monthly Council Meeting started at 11.30am on January 28, 2014, councillors from opposition party demanded to know why the BBMP annual report and CAG reports were not tabled in the council Padmanabha Reddy said that when the current Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was finance minister, he did away with 2% surcharge of stamp duty, which would have fetched some income to BBMP now if existed. Councillors of Congress party, outraged by this, protested vehemently by getting into the well of the council. The meeting was adjourned. Padmanabha Reddy later clarified that he did not have any…

Many citizens have filed their objections to draft rules of Akrama - Sakrama, formally called as Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Regulation of Unauthorised Development or Construction) Rules 2013 on the notification No: UDD 566 MyAPRa 2013, Bangalore, Dated December 12th 2013. Those who filed the objections include Vijayan Menon from Kormangala, Nagesh from Southern part of Outer Ring Road and others. Overall legality of the scheme The Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) having been established, the planning of the city, including land use, must be routed through this statutory body, and cannot be passed by the State government independently. The…

Election is nearing; the pressure on the governments to expedite works is increasing. The promises made by the Chief Minister in budget have started to turn into reality. Slowly and steadily, BBMP is working towards asphalting and improving roads. Although Chief Minister had promised to concretise more than 200 main roads of the city, in an event in October, the reality is, only two or three roads may get concretised. District incharge Ramalinga Reddy said, “Concretising road will not be possible this year. We will do that next year. At present we are working on asphalting roads, which was neglected…

What is KASA MUKTHA? The Karnataka Chief Minister launched the initiative in 22 Wards on July 24, 2013 to solve Bangalore's 'garbage problem'. He promised a Kasa Muktha (Garbage-Free) Bengaluru in 6 months (by Jan 24, 2014). The 'garbage problem' is being addressed at 3 levels:a) Segregation of garbage – by the citizenb) Processing of segregated garbage – by the BBMPc) Elimination of BLACK SPOTS (or open garbage dumps) Why focus on BLACK SPOTS? This citizen-driven pilot focused only on eliminating Black Spots. The BLACK SPOT problem is not just a garbage problem – it affects public health, sanitation, pedestrian…

Vinay Sreenivasa posts in Hasiru Usiru group: Tree Felling in Kanataka is governed by the Karnataka Preservation of Trees Act, 1976. Section 8 (1) of the act states: With effect on and from the appointed day, notwithstanding any custom, usage, contract or law for the time being in force,  no person shall fell any tree or cause any tree to be felled in any land, whether in his  ownership or occupancy or otherwise, except with the previous permission of the  Tree Officer Thus, whether the tree is in private land or government land, the permission of the Tree Officer is essential before a tree…

People in Bengaluru can now heave a sigh of relief. According to draft rule notification of Akrama Sakrama, all buildings which are completed and have occupation certificate or PID Numbers issued shall be eligible for regularisation under these rules. Even other buildings are eligible, subjected to certain conditions. Akrama Sakrama application (application for regularisation of unauthorized developments) consists Part-I, Part-II and Part-III. Part-I: For the regularisation of plot in an un-authorised sub-divided land / layout. Part-II: For regularising the land use violations. Part-III: For the regularisation of unlawful buildings. Submit the completed application form with the documents required within three…

Talk about illegal buildings, and you come to know that more than 80% of buildings in Bengaluru have violations. Building owners who have knowingly or unknowingly violated the building rules, have been looking to resolve these issues once and for all. And the respite is here - in the form of Akrama Sakrama. The government has published the draft rules for Akrama Sakrama on December 31, 2013, deciding to regularise the buildings built before October 19, 2013. Like any other law, The Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act - now known as Akrama Sakrama - was framed with a lot…