Opposition forces govt to tweak Bill on building plans in Karnataka

Bengaluru: In a win for the Opposition, the government was forced Tuesday to tweak a Bill that empowered commissioners or chief officers to decide on building plan sanctions in municipalities. The Karnataka Municipalities and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill sought to replace ‘municipal council’ with ‘municipal commissioner or chief officer’ to decide on building plan sanctions. BJP lawmakers opposed the move, arguing that this would curtail powers of elected representatives. 

Urban Development Minister B S Suresha (Byrathi) defended the Bill, saying citizens were suffering due to delays in building plan sanctions. Municipal council meetings don’t happen for months. That’s why commissioners are being given the power to approve plans, he said. “Commissioners will have 30 days to approve, failing which it will be deemed approved,” he said. 

BJP’s V Sunil Kumar, C C Patil, Harish Poonja and others disagreed with Suresha.

“The Kundapur municipal council meets every month,” Kumar said.

“This House can’t pass a Bill that will cut powers of elected representatives,” Patil said. 

Under pressure from the Opposition, Municipalities Minister Rahim Khan announced that municipal councils would be asked to sanction building plans in 30 days. The Bill was passed. 

‘Kishore Kumar & Sunil Dutt’

Municipalities Minister Rahim Khan’s struggle to explain the Bill led to comedy in the Assembly.

When Khan rose to explain the Bill, he was being prompted by Urban Development Minister B S Suresha. This irked the Opposition. 

BJP’s Suresh Kumar likened this to cult hit movie Padosan in which Sunil Dutt lip-syncs to Kishore Kumar’s voice.

“Here, Suresha is Kishore Kumar and Khan is Sunil Dutt,” Suresh Kumar quipped. Speaker U T Khader said: “So what? Padosan was a hit film. Even this duo (Suresha-Khan) will be a hit.”