HC directs civic body to check illegal shops at Jayanagar shopping mall
BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Monday directed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner to depute a competent officer to check whether there were any illegal allotment of shops in the upper basement of a Jayanagar shopping complex. The complex is built on the site of Puttanna Kanagal theatre at Jayanagar 4th block.
The court has also made it clear that the civic body has to take immediate action if any illegalities are found.
A division bench of Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Mohammad Nawaz issued this direction after hearing public interest litigation filed by city-based social activist R R Hiremath, a resident of Mahalakshmipuram.
The petitioner contended that both the lower and upper basements of the complex built by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) was kept for parking of two and four-wheelers, but the BBMP has converted the upper basement into shops illegally.
“Because of this, vehicles cannot reach either the lower basement or the upper basement for parking as these cannot take a turn at the upper basement floors where shops have now been constructed,” the petitioner claimed.
He prayed to the court to issue direction to the authorities not to allot shops in the lower and upper basement floors of the complex. He also sought that the court issue directions to the authorities concerned to disconnect the power supply to the basement floors.