Bangalore, January 7, 2014: Adhering to the 48-hour deadline, the State government on Monday submitted to the Karnataka High Court the final notification of the Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) Rules, 2013.
Additional Advocate-General H. Kantharaja filed a memo in the court indicating that the BMPC Rules have come into force with effect from January 4, 2014, the date of the final notification.
As the gazette notification on BMPC Rules was submitted, the court appreciated the proactive role played by Mr. Kantharaja in ensuring that the government notified the much-delayed rules to create the BMPC.
As per the rules, the BMPC, headed by the Chief Minister, will have 18 members from among elected members of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike and municipalities, presidents and vice-presidents of zilla, taluk and gram panchayats falling in the metropolitan area. The court has adjourned the hearing to January 16 to know the progress made by the government to constitute the committee.
Case background
The court has been hearing a petition filed by Jayanagar resident C.N. Kumar challenging the validity of section 14A of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (KTCP) Act 1961, which empowers the State to permit use of land for purposes other than that earmarked in the development plan.
Last February, the court had restrained the State from granting permission for change in land use in the metropolitan area while noticing that the government had failed to constitute an MPC even though 19 years had lapsed since the passage of the law that mandated constitution of MPC.
On January 3, 2014, Justice Ram Mohan Reddy set a 48-hour deadline for the government to notify the final rule while observing that the State had failed to finalise the same despite being given sufficient time to do so.
