The Karnataka High Court on Friday asked the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to file a detailed affidavit providing information about construction of a new apartment complex for persons from economically weaker sections (EWS) at Ejipura.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice D.H. Waghela and Justice B.V. Nagarathna issued the direction during the hearing of a public interest litigation petition.
The petitioners, stated to be the occupants of old flats, had claimed that the BBMP had decided to allot flats to them although they were not among the original 1,512 people to whom the allotments were made in the old complex. The latter had to be pulled down due to substandard construction.
However, the BBMP told the Bench that the BBMP council had passed a resolution to allot the flats in the new apartment complex to the occupants too apart from original allottees, but it was not approved by the State government. Hence the occupants were not entitled for allotment of flats in the new complex, which is under construction.
During the hearing, the Bench expressed concern over the poor quality of construction in building houses for the poor while asking the BBMP what had been done to ensure quality in the construction of the new apartment complex. The BBMP’s counsel said the agreement with Maverick Holdings and Investments Pvt. Ltd. had necessary safeguards to ensure quality.
Maverick’s counsel apprised the court that excavation for construction had commenced and attributed the delay to a series of protests by the occupants of the quarters, who were evicted following a High Court ruling.
