Mr Siddaramaiah, please spare the innocent citizens: TV Mohandas Pai

By TV MOHANDAS PAI

There are two kinds of illegal constructions.

One: Someone squatting on a piece of land, either private or public, and built a structure without any approval. These have to be demolished because they are illegal right from the beginning.

Two: When the builder has connived with officials, paid them bribes, got documents in favour of his plan, built and sold the property illegally , but got an occupancy certificate. Now, this is a clear case of fraud and collusion with corrupt officials. In this case, innocent citizens have been duped and the state has to protect them.

For the property in the second category, the government has to arrest the real estate developer, corrupt officials, ask the developer to compensate the buyers (as the Supreme Court did in the case of Sahara), rehabilitate the buyers and then demolish the building. Citizens trust official approvals such as a sanctioned plan, khatha and occupancy certificates. If government officials have committed a fraud or forgery , the government must take responsibility for the acts of its servants. Citizens can't take the blame and pay the price.

What the chief minister is doing is good work ­ all illegal constructions have to be demolished.There has to be justice, but it should not be onesided. He has to look after the interest of innocent citizens who have been duped by illegal builders and corrupt officials. They cannot lose their life's savings while officials and builders get away .

Most of these cases have happened in outlying areas that were recently annexed to BBMP. A lot of illegal activities happened when the city's municipal limits were expanded. The officials have to be hauled up and put into jail. All citizens must request the chief minister to act on this and ensure that justice is done.

The government has to see how the watershed is now. Some drains can be restored, some cannot.But the government should nevertheless demolish and take over the property .

Right now, citizens have no way of finding out if the documents are forged. So the government should put out maps and the master plan in the public domain so that citizens can verify before buying a property .

Corruption and forgery in land documents is common in outlying areas. The process for plan sanctions has to be made transparent and done electronically . The website often does not allow for uploading of documents as it is faulty .

These should be tested and fixed. Senior registered architects with a good reputation should be given the power to approve, and the process must be audited.

There are good builders and good officials. But there are also many corrupt officials, politicians and a strong real estate mafia. The rules are redundant and vague. Unless everything is cleared up, the situation will not improve.

(The author is Chairman, Manipal Global Education Services. As told to Nirupama V)