MAHE takes ‘special’ path to pitch 80-acre campus in Bengaluru

Disregarding the red flags raised by the local administration, the erstwhile B S Yeddyurappa-led government had, in November 2020, given a one-time concession to the Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) for building its new campus on 80 acres of land in Bengaluru, according to documents available with DH. 

The BBMP had initially opposed the MAHE application for the building plan approval, saying the road leading to the campus was narrow. While the zonal regulation prescribes a minimum width of 18 metres for higher educational institutions, the approach road to the MAHE campus from Ballari Road (NH-7) was only 10.6 metres to 12.6 metres wide. The width of the approach road is the primary factor that determines the overall built-up area of any building, be it shopping malls or apartment complexes.

Stating that the MAHE proposal “does not align with the existing rules”, the BBMP wrote to the Urban Development Department (UDD) to seek its opinion, reportedly on the instructions of senior government officers. 

A subsequent meeting, chaired on November 4, 2020, by then Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar observed that considering the MAHE-like proposal in isolation would be a deviation from the prevailing policy. The meeting also discussed the possibility of amending the zonal regulations to accommodate the MAHE proposal, stating all educational institutions above 40 acres should be given approvals even if the approach road is 13 metres wide. 

At the end of the meeting, however, senior officers decided to place the MAHE proposal before the state Cabinet, stating that the project would benefit about 10,000 students. They also observed that 65 per cent of the student population would be staying within the college campus and hence movement of traffic in and out of the campus would not be very heavy. 

In an order issued on November 18, the government directed the BBMP to approve the building plan with existing road widths as a one-time concession, terming the MAHE proposal a “special case”. 

Bhaskar, who is now retired from service, said that the state Cabinet had approved the proposal after taking the views of the law and finance departments.

“The Cabinet is vested with certain powers,” he told DH, adding that MAHE’s proposal was considered a special case as it would attract investments and generate employment. “The government does facilitate such relaxations, including for industries when there are problems in approvals,” he added. 

A senior IAS officer, however, said there was no provision in the law to sidestep the zonal regulations prescribed in the revised master plan (RMP). 

A spokesperson for MAHE declined to comment.