Acting on the directions of the Upa Lokayukta, the Urban Development Department will form a sub-committee to propose amendments to regulate residential layouts outside Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) jurisdiction.
The sub-committee will submit a report within three months.
Upa Lokayukta Justice Subhash B Adi had taken up a suo motu complaint about a BMRDA-approved layout in Attibele which continues to be barren land since 2005.
A total of 1,364 layouts were approved in eight planning areas - BMRDA, Anekal, BIAAPA, Hoskote, Kanakapura, Magadi, Nelamangala and RCUDA.
It was later revealed that 15 layouts were never developed even five years after approval. According to BMRDA, development was not completed in 317 layouts even after five years of approval and BMRDA claimed that in 715 layouts, infrastructure development was still ‘in progress’.
“After detailed discussion with all the stakeholders, it was decided that the Urban Development Department will form a sub-committee to suggest amendments to Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, Municipality Act, Panchayat Raj Act and other provisions outside the city jurisdiction. The regulations are not clear and have been exploited. The law is also not clear on aspects such as action to be taken against private developers who sell sites and vanish, leaving the land undeveloped,” Justice Adi said.
The sub-committee will also regulate formation of layouts on the outskirts of all major cities including Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Mysore and other municipality areas, Justice Adi added.
The Upa Lokayukta also said that the Urban Development Department has decided to withdraw the 2005 circular which resulted in sudden rise in approval of layouts. As per this circular, a developer can sell 60 per cent of the sites after approval.
Since the law is mute on penalties and regulations, some developers sold all the sites, but did not develop the layout.
Justice Adi also said that the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority has already initiated criminal action against those developers who failed to provide infrastructure in layouts even after selling stipulated sites.