No Akrama-Sakrama for shops on residential sites

The Akrama-Sakrama scheme to regularise illegal constructions will not apply to shops and commercial establishments in residential areas.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has started serving notices on property owners who have built shops and commercial complexes on residential plots.

BBMP offices across the city are flooded with queries on whether such violations can be regularised under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme.

BBMP Commissioner N Manjunath   Prasad said the regulations clearly state that zonal regulations will remain in force.

The civic agency will serve notices and start shutting down shops and commercial establishments on residential plots, he warned. “Already, the exercise to shut down shops has begun in areas where shops are a nuisance. We are giving a little more time to such property owners, seeking their explanation,” said Prasad. To make the drive a success, the BBMP is imparting two rounds of training to health inspectors.

Besides issuing notices to shops, the inspectors will sensitise owners about not building shops on residential plots.

The BBMP has also decided to rope in residents’ welfare associations (RWAs), many of which are fighting against the commercial use of residential properties. The RWAs could help the authorities act against hotels, pubs and bars, which cause severe traffic jams on narrow roads.