Owners have to raze unauthorised buildings at own cost

Property owners seeking a plan sanction may soon have to give a written undertaking to the BBMP that they would demolish the building on their own if they violate the plan.

BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad has proposed an amendment to this effect to the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, to reduce the financial drain on razing buildings defying the sanctioned plan.

Prasad mentioned in his letter to the additional chief secretary, urban development department, that it is expensive for the Palike to bring down the unauthorised structure, besides conducting litigation at all levels.

The BBMP’s amendment to the law reads: “Before seeking permission to execute the work, the owner or person responsible for the construction or renovation shall give an undertaking that the proposed construction or reconstruction would be in accordance with the plan sanction. In case of any deviation, they shall remove it at their own cost.”

The move comes weeks after Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said the BBMP would collect double the tax amount from property owners who have built structures in
violation of the sanctioned plan.

The commissioner said despite efforts to tackle violators of building plans, owners get stay orders from the court, which leaves the action inconclusive.

The amendment also proposes to collect 10% of the guidance value of the land every month if the unauthorised portion is not removed within 30 days from the receipt of the notice.

In 2017, the BBMP’s standing committee of town planning and improvement proposed a large-scale crackdown of building plan violators in the city.