Karnataka govt. plans to make disaster management authority’s approval mandatory for sanction plans

Bengaluru 

To streamline action against stormwater drain encroachments, the Karnataka government plans to make approval of building and layout plans mandatory from disaster management authorities across the state. The state is drawing up a proposal to constitute expert committees within these authorities.

Currently, planning and development authorities sanction plans for buildings and layouts in the state, but there is no dedicated expert unit to address issues related to stormwater drains. After violations led to flooding in Manyata Tech Park, the government strongly believes that engineers alone are not competent to decide on stormwater drain aspects before granting approvals. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has now devised engineering solutions in the Nagawara area, also keeping in mind the interests of tech parks. However, going forward, the government aims to put an end to stormwater drain violations.

A senior government official working in revenue and disaster management told BLR.POST, “The local planning and development authorities do not have professionals to handle stormwater drain matters. In Bengaluru, property owners have encroached upon drains, diverted their paths, and blocked them, violating rules — yet authorities have granted permission despite these violations. To end this, we now plan to set up an expert body within the authority at the state and district levels.” The official added that setting up a single committee for the entire state would be impractical.

The official further stated that the plan is still in its nascent stage and that minimum area limits are being determined for buildings that must seek mandatory approval from these expert committees. Individual houses may not come under the committee’s scrutiny, as this could become cumbersome for homeowners. The government is also working on deciding the number of members for this body and the qualifications required to assess stormwater drain and other environment-related matters. Only after this body grants approval can local authorities issue sanctioned plans to developers and construction stakeholders.

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