JOIN USA fortnight before the collapse of the under-construction building in Bellandur, the then Town Planning committee chairman of BBMP C R Lakshminarayan had written to the BBMP, to curb the illegal building menace.
Speaking to DH, Lakshminarayan, the Domlur corporator, said a few days before his tenure was over, he had written to the government in view of the mushrooming of illegal structures.
He said he had highlighted how the builders from outside the state were duping people by constructing substandard buildings which may endanger the lives of inhabitants.
Lakshminarayan said he had suggested to the government to introduce a system where the builder, contractor, owner or the general power of attorney holder and the architect submit an affidavit to the BBMP. Along with the affidavit, there should be a detailed soil test report, building plan, structural design plan and attested copies of PAN card, Aadhaar card, voter ID and photographs of these people.
The Domlur corporator had also suggested that the BBMP or any civic agency should withhold 15% to 20% of the area of the residential or commercial complex, if the buildings are meant for sale. Until all the criteria mentioned in the affidavit are met, the held-back property should not be returned, he had said. But no action was taken on the suggestions in the letter.
The BBMP has lodged a complaint against seven people, including the builder and architect, at the HSR Layout police station in connection with the building collapse incident.
In the complaint, BBMP assistant engineer has named Daggolu Vinay Kumar Reddy, T Lalith Kumar Reddy, T Ravi Kumar Reddy, K Prathima Reddy, J Jyotsna and Dr R Pradeep.
The architect of the building is M R Hema of R K Associates at RHB Colony, Mahadevapura.
While Vinay Kumar Reddy and T Ravi Kumar Reddy are from Warangal, Telangana, and Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, respectively, the rest are residents of Bengaluru.
DH News Service