JOIN USThe Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) has registered a case against former Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) administrator, former commissioners of BBMP and BDA, and officials of Town and Country Planning Authority who had allegedly facilitated the illegally widening of the Begur-Hulimavu Road to help a builder, DLF Southern Homes Private Limited.
According to BMTF sources, the case has been registered on a complaint by L Nagesh, a resident of Begur. In his complaint, Nagesh drew attention to the Bangalore Revised Master Plan-2015 (RMP) -- which was approved by the Town and Country Planning Authority, that had proposed to widen the Begur-Hulimavu Road from 40 ft to 60 ft (18 mtrs).
The complainant alleged that based on the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for the 18 mtrs wide road, DLF obtained BBMP’s approval to construct only basement and four floors but constructed 18 floors. To ‘rectify’ its deeds, the DLF is alleged to have pressured the government agencies to widen the road from 18 mtrs to 24 mtrs so that the structure it has constructed could be legalised.
While the road widening did not materialise all these years, the government agencies concerned suddenly swung into action to widen the road to 24 mtrs (80 ft), which is against the RMP, he alleged.
The complainant pointed out that the then Minister for Higher Education and Mahadevapura MLA Aravind Limbavali had written a letter on October 21, 2009 to the Chief Engineer of Major Roads, BBMP through the BBMP Commissioner to widen the road ‘following demand by the villagers.’
The then BBMP commissioner wrote a letter to then BBMP administrator seeking his permission to widen the 850-metre-long Begur-Hulimavu Road from 18 mtrs to 24 mtrs, alleged Nagesh. At the expense of tax payers’ money, the BBMP is going ahead to link the said road with the NICE Road, he added.