PADMANABHANAGAR:The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is building a library inside a park, in violation of the provisions of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.
The library is coming up at Kumaraswamy Layout, Ward No 181, in the Padmanabhanagar Assembly constituency. The building covers 11 by 13.5 metres of the park’s total area of 220 by 33 metres.
The BBMP has already built a ward office inside the park. A room for the watchman has come up next to the library building.
The BBMP has also marked out a play area for children, with play equipment. The park has thus been shrinking steadily. All these violations are taking place next to a police station adjoining the park.
A BBMP engineer claimed there was a provision in the law to use 5 per cent of the total area of a park for civic purposes.
Legally speaking
Experts disagree. Advocate G R Mohan said Section 12 (1) of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act prohibits construction inside parks. Many High Court judgments have upheld this provision, he explained.
Environment lovers are also opposing the construction. Krishna Kumar, a citizen who lives near the park, said the BBMP was behaving irresponsibly. “This park is the sole lung space available for the residents. If the civic body starts building inside the park, who will protect the space?” he asked.
Another resident, who did not want to be named, said the library had been functioning from a small room on 71st Cross of Kumaraswamy Layout. “For 26 years, it has been trying to get a spacious building. The new space is coming up with local area development funds from MLA R Ashok,” he said.
BBMP Administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar admitted there was no provision to build anything inside parks. “I will look into it,” he said, when told about the library.
