BENGALURU: In a classic case of throwing norms into the wind, Srirangapatna taluk authorities in Mandya district have approved private layouts, including those formed by the Sumathi, wife of sitting MLA Ramesh Babu and M L Dinesh, whose tenure as president of Srirangapatna Town Municipal Council, completed recently, and his family members. What is more surprising is that even without an application for approval, they have approved in some cases.
Before releasing the sites in the layout formed by Sumathi in Kirangauru, there was no notarised certificate, proceedings of the meetings of the Grama Panchayat, no objection certificate from the concerned departments for the release of sites and also a relinquish deed for handing over the space required for the civic amenities like park, road, etc. Similar violations were also found in the case of layouts formed by Dinesh and his family members.
Further, the modus operandi revealed that although the application was submitted for approval of a single site, approval was given for the entire bunch of sites, for which they have attached plans of several sites.
This was a poorly depicted picture of the mushrooming of private layouts in the historic island town surrounded by the river Cauvery. What is more concerning is that some of the layouts were built in the river's buffer zone.
These are the findings of the report submitted by the Lokayukta police in Mandya to Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa, who issued a warrant to search the offices of Srirangapatna taluk panchayat and the Kiranguru Grama Panchayat, from where social activist Mohan Kumar blew the whistle by filing complaint with the anti-corruption watchdog alleging that layouts were formed illegally for which approval was given throwing norms into wind by the local bodies and e-khatas were issued for the same.
The search revealed that no records were found for submitting the applications seeking approval for the plans of layouts formed in different survey numbers of Kirangauru Grama Panchayat. However, Venu, the then Executive Officer of the taluk panchayat, approved the layout plans, and a copy of the layout plan approval is available in about 42 files.
Around 17 cases concerning the layouts in Kiranguru, Jakkanahalli, Hosahalli, Belagola, Chikkaankanahalli, KR Sagara, Nelamane, K Shettahalli, Agrahara, Kadatanalu, Brahmapura, Darasaguppe and Naguvanahalli villages do not follow the prescribed norms by not earmarking space for public roads, park and parking in the plans. Residential sites were formed on the lands which were converted for commercial purposes. Even though approval was given for residential layouts without spot inspection.
Further, the search disclosed that the plans of layouts formed in Belagola, Mogarahalli and Anaganahalli of Srirangapatna taluk, which falls under Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), were approved by the taluk panchayat without jurisdiction.