The Congress councillors in Mangalore City Corporation council opposed the revised version of Master Plan II to Mangalore Local Planning Area at the meeting of the council on Tuesday.
Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) had revised the zonal regulations of the Master Plan II for the second time in two years. The Government had notified the second revision on October 26.
Licence
The Congress councillors said changing the zonal regulations now and then created problems for people as they had to obtain fresh licences for constructing buildings. They wanted to know whether law permitted revision of zonal regulations twice in two years.
The councillors demanded that a resolution be passed opposing the second revision and that it should be scrapped. But the councillors of the ruling BJP did not support it.
Mayor Praveen said he would convene a meeting of MUDA officials, the corporation, and councillors within a week to discuss the pros and cons of the revised version.
The former Mayor and Congress councillor M. Shashidhar Hegde said the Master Plan II had come into effect from October 1, 2009. It was revised in 2010 for the first time and the same was notified by the State Government on May 5, 2011. It was again revised for the second time and notified last month. Mr. Hegde said how could the MUDA revise it for the second time without inviting objections from people. He said the MUDA was least bothered on its (of revisions) implications on people.
The former Leader of the Opposition in the council and Congress councillor Harinath said the MUDA had revised it for helping builders. According to the plan, an apartment could not be built on plots abutting roads which were less than six metres in width. This would affect many people, he said.
Mr. Harinath said some provisions in the master plan would give scope for unauthorised buildings.
Naveen D'Souza, Congress councillor, said the revised regulations had a clause for acquiring land for the development of an integrated township for any developer. The clause reads: “…the authority may acquire any land required for development as part of integrated township up to 15 per cent of the total extent proposed by the developer if the authority is convinced that the acquisition of such lands is necessary for the proper development of the township. The authority may provide such acquired land for the development of the township by participating in the development as owner of such lands in public interest after negotiation with the developer.”
MUDA Town Planner Guruprasad A.B. said all amendments in the second revision draft sent by MUDA to the Government had not been incorporated in the revision. Some of them had been changed while issuing the notification.
