Building bylaw violations galore at Garuda Mall: Report

Buckling under pressure from corporators, the Palike conducted the inquiry between July 18 and July 20 — the first-ever since the mall was constructed six years ago — into the building bylaw violations on the premises.

The move came after the mall authorities allegedly humiliated the members of the Market and Town Planning Committee who had gone there for inspection.

The inquiry was conducted by officers of the Palike’s East Zone, its town planning division and market division.

The report, however, does not say whether the agreement signed between Maverick Holdings, which constructed the mall, and the BBMP, had been breached. It also does not mention how many shops were supposed to come up at the mall.

About deviations in the third floor, the report, a copy of which is with Deccan Herald, says, “39 numbers (sic) of developers’ share (were) deviated for commercial use.”

The report says the space was meant for parking at least 60 cars. In the fifth floor, space for parking 66 cars was supposed to be left aside, but that too was appropriated for commercial use.

Besides violating norms in his share of area, the builder has encroached on the BBMP space, the report said.

Car parking

The builder, according to the report, constructed an STP (sewage treatment plant) in the BBMP’s share of area where space for parking 34 cars was to be left.

The joint inquiry team said an incomplete structure for the purpose of installing STP had been built on an additional land area where “34 numbers of surface car parking” was supposed to be reserved for the BBMP commercial area as per the Occupancy Certificate Plan. Fun Max Entertaining and a restaurant have come up in the third floor in violation of the bylaws. In the fifth floor, the Scary House, the mall’s office, Kenko and Staples have also violated the agreement, the report noted. The report said the mall management should pay the Palike its share of profit as agreed. The joint committee report also recommended separate actions for all violations in the building.

Questioning the integrity of the BBMP authorities, former Bharatinagar ward corporator M Pari said, “What were the BBMP officers doing for the last six years? The officials apparently connived with the developer and allowed violations to happen. Now that they are entrusted with probing the irregularities, will they probe their role too?”

Roopa Ramesh, chairperson of the BBMP market standing committee, said a meeting had been convened on November 26 with the members of the town planning standing committee to discuss the issue.

Expressing her unhappiness over the shoddy inquiry conducted by the Palike authorities, she said the civic agency will not spare violators under any circumstances.

Project and agreement

According to the Garuda Mall project conceived in 2001, a shopping spree was to come up on BBMP land in the heart of the City on Magrath Road in Ashoka Nagar. The Palike previously had a fuel outlet and workshop at the site where it repaired its vehicles. The total area of the land where the mall is built is 75,000 sq mt.

The Garuda Mall administration and the BBMP, which owns the land, have often got into controversies over sharing profits. Maverick Holdings, which manages the mall, and the Palike had entered into an agreement on a 48% : 52% basis.