Illegal constructions rising in Mahadevapura corridor

The demand for housing and commercial space in the Mahadevapura tech corridor has resulted in many illegal constructions that violate building regulations.

Some areas in the zone witnessed cases of building-collapse that claimed many lives. This year alone, Mahadevapura has seen four cases of building collapses, with instances reported from Kasavanahalli, Bellandur and Marathahalli leading the trend.

Local MLA Aravind Limbavali said he wrote a letter to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) six months ago, after one of the buildings collapsed, but no action has been taken so far.

He attributed the growing number of IT companies in Mahadevapura, which in turn has increased the demand for housing, as a reason for the situation.

“The builders, owners and contractors are too greedy that they want to make money from low investments. They construct buildings with rampant violations starting from the foundation laying to the building’s elevation. They accommodate more people than the prescribed limit of the buildings as paying guest accommodations and hostels,” he said.

He further added that the corporation has failed to curb the violations. “The Palike officials do not even check the applications they receive for sanctioning the plans. Many applications are cleared by the BBMP under the table,” he said.

Meanwhile, BBMP officials said a lack of human resources had limited their action against building violations. According to the civic body, a separate task force should be formed just to check violations.

“One executive engineer cannot do maintenance and enforcement. Forming a separate task force with full power of prosecution might help curb the issue,” said BBMP chief engineer, Parameshwariah. He also said that Mahadevapura was the biggest zone under the civic body’s ambit, and was difficult to monitor.

“Contractors do not follow the standard guidelines laid out by the engineers, including strength and structural parameters. When the BBMP issues notices, the violators go to the court and get a stay. The officers and engineers come and go, but, the problem persists. We need a dedicated task force.” he added.

Mayor Gangambike said that the BBMP and the building owners share equal responsibility in a building-collapse scenario. “Both are liable for legal actions if proved guilty,” she said.