Bill on reducing open spaces not for city

The Karnataka Urban Development Authorities (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which seeks to reduce spaces reserved for parks and playgrounds from 15% to 10% and civic amenity sites from 10% to 5%, will not be applicable to Bengaluru, a senior government official has clarified.

However, it will affect about 250 small towns and cities across the state. Bengaluru region is governed under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, the Bangalore Development Authority Act, the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority Act, the Bangalore International Airport Planning Authority Act and the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Planning Authority Act.

Clearing the air, Additional Chief Secretary in the Urban Development Department, Mahendra Jain, said, “The amendment is not applicable to Bengaluru. This bill is for those urban bodies which are governed under the Karnataka Urban Development Authorities (Kuda) Act.”

The amendment bill passed amid din by the Karnataka Assembly on Monday created confusion among Bengalureans who were outraged at the prospect of the city’s open spaces shrinking further.

250 affected towns
The law will impact about 250 towns, which come under the Kuda Act, where lung spaces will be reduced, feel urban experts. New layouts coming up in these towns will have to reserve only 10% of space for parks and playgrounds instead of 15%. Similarly, only 5% of open space should be set aside for civic amenities instead of 10%.