RWAs up the ante against commercialisation

Join hands with citizen groups to oppose proposed Common Zoning Regulations

Flouting rules: Though Lavelle Road is only 28 feet wide and predominantly residential, there have been several attempts to open commercial establishments along it.

With nine days remaining to file objections to the draft Common Zoning Regulations (CZR) that allow commercial activities even on roads that are 30 feet wide, Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs) across the city have upped the ante.

RWAs of Indiranagar, Koramangala and other areas, along with a number of citizen groups, have got together on a single platform with the motto ‘Fight for What is Right’ to oppose the proposed CZR. The first meeting will be held on Saturday, following which objections will be drafted. N.S. Mukunda, Citizen Action Forum, said that if the government goes ahead with the CZR despite their objections, there will be no option but to move court.

Meanwhile, multiple RWAs have launched a campaign to get the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to shut down establishments that have come up in violation of the existing zonal regulations, which bars commercial establishments on roads that have a width of 40 feet or less.

The Indiranagar 2nd Stage RWA had in April 2017 won a High Court of Karnataka division bench order in connection with 73 commercial establishments allegedly violating zoning regulations. But no action has been taken on the same, say residents.

Praveen S., from the RWA, wrote to BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad on Thursday saying that residents would move court again if no action was taken. “Though notices were served by the BBMP after the April order, no action has been taken. The zoning regulations as per the RMP-2015 are still in force. We are not ready to budge on this issue,” he said. “It took several years to win the legal battle over amendments in RMP-2015, but we had to again approach the HC to implement the order. Just when the civic body issued notices to these establishments, the government has notified draft rules allowing reckless commercialisation,” he added.

Mr. Prasad said that the 73 establishments did not turn up for a hearing last week. They will get another chance to present their case in the coming week. “If they do not turn up, I will be forced to pass ex-parte orders,” he said.

Siddharth Thomas, a resident of Lavelle Road, said that though their road is only 28 feet wide and predominantly residential, there have been several attempts to open commercial establishments. “An attempt is being made to start a restaurant in a garage and a café in the garb of a bakery despite objections by neighbours. These buildings do not even have occupancy certificates,” he said.