CH NEWS, CHIKKAMAGALURU
Residents of Narasimharajapura town panchayat are facing difficulties in obtaining permission for building construction due to the distance prescribed between the road boundary and building line. The issue stems from the classification of a road within the town panchayat limits as a state highway while preparing the master plan, despite the road being a town road, according to officials. Earlier, the town panchayat did not have a separate local planning authority, and the Tarikere subdivision functioned as the local planning authority. The town panchayat itself granted permission for construction of houses within its limits. Under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961, the State Government declared the Narasimharajapura town panchayat area as the Narasimharajapura Local Planning Area with effect from February 16, 2012. Since then, building permissions within the town limits have to be obtained from the Town Planning Authority. The distance between the road boundary and building line for new constructions has been fixed at 21 metres. Residents have raised concerns over the application of this distance requirement to the road in question. The Town Planning Authority considered the 2012 notification while preparing the master plan based on the projected 2041 population in 2022, resulting in the present issue, sources said. Meanwhile, road expansion work is under way from the town bus stand to a tourist temple. Under the project, 30 feet of land on both sides of the road from its centre is being acquired, with compensation reportedly fixed at twice the government rate. Public Works Department Assistant Executive Engineer Satish said the road from the bus stand to the tourist temple does not connect to a state highway and is a town road. Therefore, rules applicable to state highways should not be imposed on the road, he said. The PWD report confirming that the road is a town road and does not form part of a state highway has been received. The report has been forwarded to the Urban Development Department through the District Collector. A representation has also been submitted to Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, along with State Tourism Development Corporation president M Srinivas, seeking a solution to the issue.
