Commercialisation of residential areas

Blatant, unregulated commercialisation has destroyed the peace and orderly life of residential areas across the city. Land use regulations have been thrown to the winds, as a nexus of bureaucrats, elected representatives and business interests steamrolled protests by citizen groups.

The rules are clear: Land use regulations of Master Plan 2015 bars commercialisation in residential areas along roads that are less than 40 feet wide. However, in areas where road width is over 40 ft, 20% of the premises can be allowed for ancillary usage.

But this regulation has been grossly violated, sparking concerns linked to over-crowding, parking, law and order, garbage, pollution and more. Although a Karnataka High Court order in 2014 directed authorities not to allow any commercial activity along roads less than 40ft, enforcement has been slow and often compromised.

Citizens have long argued that they are not against the small units essential for neighborhoods. In fact, the Revised Master Plan 2015 had permitted a limited set of commercial ancillary usages along roads wider than 40ft that include petty shops, photocopying outlets, professional offices for doctors and lawyers, ATMs etc.

But the big business establishments, pulling strings at all powerful corners, have managed to outsmart the citizens, pocket the bureaucrats, while spreading their tentacles with impunity.

Citizens in Indiranagar and Koramangala have been the most vocal against commercialisation. But the menace has spread all across the city. We, at Deccan Herald, have been tracking with concern this descent into chaos.

We believe a robust partnership with citizens and residents welfare associations can work as a strong counter to this unchecked commercialisation. We could spark a change collectivity to the best of our abilities, suggest roadmaps and proactively track the implementation.

As a first step, do join us for a public consultation on 'Commercialisation of residential areas'.

Speakers:

• Manjunath Prasad - BBMP Commissioner
• V Ravichandar - Civic Evangelist, Bengaluru
• Swarna - Member, iChange Indiranagar

Date: June 22, 2019
Venue: The Capitol Hotel, Vasanth Nagar
Time: 5 PM

Registration: Online registration is mandatory for attendees. Sign up by completing the form below.
If available, a limited number of seats may be offered for on-site registration at 4:30 P.M.