BENGALURU: A century-old map and revenue records are what’s helping the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike on its massive encroachment removal drive. As a result, more number of buildings are likely to be razed. But residents and builders are questioning if a map dating back to 1905 should be used to clear encroachments.
Real estate developers have urged the state government to follow the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) of 2005 to identify encroachments.
On Monday, however, BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath Prasad reiterated that the civic agency will go ahead with the demolition drive using the century-old map, and not the CDP.
“Revenue records are final and we will go by that. If any individual has a dispute, they will go by the old revenue records,” he said. “The existing area of lakes, storm water drains are based on the old revenue map. The Comprehensive Development Plan is just a development plan and we cannot take up the demolition drive based on this,” he explained.
He told Express that the revenue map was the oldest record that was relevant even today. “Revenue maps decide property ownership. They will have all the data - map of storm water drain, lakes, and other government properties. It is the father of all records. CDP prescribes land usage — whether it is commercial or residential, number of floors, width of the road. While framing the CDP, it said that drains and lakes should be retained as it is. Nowhere did it say that buildings can be constructed on drains. Revenue maps were superimposed on the CDP. The CDP is derived from the revenue map.”
A senior BBMP official said they will continue using the revenue records and priority is to remove encroachments on storm water drains. “Now that we are clear that we are going by the 1905 map, more number of buildings, most of which were built in the last decade, will face demolition. Many apartment complexes in Bommanahalli, Yelahanka, Mahadevapura and Rajarajeshwarinagar zones will be checked for encroachment. Former City Municipal Councils (CMC) officials had given permission to builders to construct buildings, hiding land records. All these flaws are coming out now,” he said.
Suresh Hari, Secretary, CREDAI, told Express that the builders in their association go by CDP. “Even the High Court agreed that construction as per CDP is permissible,” he said. He said that many CMCs and villages were added to BBMP later. Some village maps are as old as 100 years. “But the village maps are not relevant today. If we go by that, most structures in Bengaluru will have to be demolished.”