Despite the Legislative Assembly tabling a bill that bans commercial establishments on roads measuring 40 feet, they continue to thrive in residential areas. The move may have had the backing of every RWA across the city. The Palike claims to have sent out over 12,000 individual notices. But residents say no change has taken place on ground. The traders rule.
Once a pensioner’s paradise, Bengaluru has seen its peace destroyed over the years with its roads growing increasingly burdened with traffic. While most Bengalureans retired to the peace of their homes in the past to escape the noise of its commercial hubs, today they have been robbed of even this luxury as traffic has been growing steadily on the streets and bylanes of their neighbourhoods as well thanks mainly to the many commercial establishments that have mushroomed in their midst.
Sadly, a 2012 interim High Court order prohibiting commercial use of buildings in residential areas is being largely ignored with commercial spaces still available for rent in several neighbourhoods. And although the BBMP made it clear in a 2015 circular that the “mixed zone” concept applied only to residential localities with over 40 feet wide roads, no one seems to be listening to it either.
Read | Guest column: Commercial establishments have flouted norms
Visit Koramangala, the city’s start-up hub, and its apparent the BBMP's diktat is being widely flouted with many buildings in its residential parts blatantly advertising space for commercial use. Things are no better in upmarket Indiranagar. Once a largely peaceful locality, its quiet has been ruined by the many commercial establishments dotting its residential areas.
While the BBMP sat back and let the situation deteriorate, several residential welfare associations plunged into the battle to save their localities’ quiet and now coming under pressure, the BBMP has finally cracked the whip against illegal commercial establishments in residential areas, asking them to voluntarily shut down by a December 6, 2016 public notice. It has gone on to issue individual notices to shop owners as well.
Not waiting for the BBMP or BDA to act, around 17 Resident Welfare Associations have begun installing boards in their localities saying commerical use of buildings in residential areas is prohibited by a High Court order and a BBMP public notice of December 6, 2016. More such boards are expected to come up in the city.
But going by the RWAs, the notices don’t seem to have scared anyone either.
Says Mr Nitin Sheshadri, a member of the Koramangala 3rd block Resident Welfare Association, "The health wing of the BBMP has served notices to several commercial units , but even today you find many buildings in residential areas ready to offer space for commercial use."
Ms Swarna Venkataraman, vice-president of the Indiranagar 1st Stage League, too laments that the public notice has made little difference. "We don’t see any difference in the situation before and after the notices were issued by the BBMP. Nothing has changed. There is not even a hint of the commercial units shutting down in our residential areas. In fact many of the old homes are being demolished to make way for commercial buildings. The BBMP needs to act fast to stop this," she warns.
Most commercial units seem to believe the BBMP is unlikely to enforce its notice, in her view. “Their attitude is we look for alternative space only when the BBMP comes knocking at our doors, asking us to shut operations," she adds ruefully.
Points of (dis)order
- Based on a High Court order to curb illegal commercial establishments in residential areas, the BBMP issues a public notice on December 6, 2016, asking all illegal commercial units to move out of residential areas.
- Later, the civic agency begins issuing individual notices to commercial units in these areas .
- The BBMP council unanimously decides to set up a committee to go into the pros and cons of commercial establishments operating in residential areas and submit a report to the state government on the issue.
- RWAs have now begun installing boards in their localities saying commercial activity is prohibited in these areas.
Schools operating in residential areas will be considered commercial
Even schools operating in residential areas will not be spared, according to BBMP commissioner, Manjunath Prasad. "Schools are not charity organisations. They charge a fee for enrolling children and are therefore commercial" he noted, adding, “Although some people may find it convenient to have schools operating close to their homes, they cause a great deal of inconvenience in residential areas and will also be served notices. They may be spared only if they are operating in a space earmarked by the BDA for schools. ”
‘BBMP is setting up a committee to look into the issue’
In its battle to curb commercial establishments in residential areas, the BBMP has already issued over 12,000 individual notices to their owners asking them to explain their presence in these localities.
BBMP commissioner, Manjunath Prasad points out that the BBMP council too has unanimously decided to set up a committee to look into the issue. “Although the committee has not yet been set up, our operation to shift commercial units from residential areas is on based on the High Court order. We have already issued over 12,000 individual notices and quite a few of the shop owners have replied to them,” he reveals, adding that in their responses to the notices, some units have claimed they had set up shop in the area before the High Court order and a few others have maintained their presence in the localities goes back to before the Revised Master Plan of 2015 was amended.
"Our health officers, who were entrusted with the task of issuing notices, will collate the replies received. We will hold a meeting to discuss the responses to the notices and decide on the next course of action,” the commissioner assures, also underlining that trade licences that come up for renewal in residential areas will not be entertained at any cost.
