The government has contended before the Karnataka High Court that there will be “a state of total chaos” and “no infrastructural development activity could be effectively taken up” if the argument that the government or its agencies, like BDA or BMRDA, cannot undertake any developmental activity without the recommendation of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) is accepted.
“If the argument of the petitioners is taken to its logical end, any developmental activity that does not find a place in the Draft Development Plan (DDP) of the BMPC, and has not been recommended by the BMPC cannot be implemented,” the government has contended in its additional state of objection opposing a PIL petition filed in 2014.
To give an example, it has been stated in the government’s objection, in the event of setting up a new sewage line inside Bengaluru city limits, if the plan is not mentioned in the DDP and if the need for the same arises due to an intermittent situation, the sewage line cannot be laid as it does not find a place in the DDP.
“...the arguments raised by the petitioners is dangerous to the growth of Bengaluru metropolitan area... in the garb of protecting the ill-perceived constitutional intent, the petitioners are virtually seeking to choke the development of infrastructure.”
Planning authorities
As Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) are the local planning authorities in the metropolitan area, the government has contended that it is mandatory for the BMPC to take into account the plans prepared by the BDA and the BMRDA while preparing the DDP.
The government also justified inclusion of the Chief Minister s a member of the BMPC by contending that it would not amount to conflict of interest but speed up the process while contending that the CM’s presence would only aide expeditious approval of the DDP by the State and reduce the chances of the plan being rejected.
