Here is a tale of two buildings right next to each other.
Setback from the road, and use of basement for the first one:
And, similar shots of the adjoining building:
Notice the contrast? Whats the result? Lack of parking space, which makes every customer of this complex a violator of that bold no parking signboard. No space for pedestrians to walk, thus forcing them down on the road, which in turn slows down the traffic on it.
There are plenty of examples in and around Bangalore, example of the very thing which we refer to as "uncontrolled growth", which to me means lack of control over how development should happen, something that leads to numerous small areas that increase 'entropy'.
We know the how and why of these examples. Perhaps corruption in plan approval and construction process answers the how. The zeal to make the most of real estate at the cost of stressing local infrastructure would answer the why.
I was talking to someone (who I assumed to be) either a stakeholder or builder of one such construction happening on Varthur Road, and he said hey, once the building comes up, and as long as all of it stays inside my plot, it can never get the extreme punishment of demolition. Talking to a few more folks like him will tell you what guides everyone - 1) construction is permament, no government or enforcement agency in the city is brutal enough to order extreme punishments, and 2) at the end of day, all I did was inside the piece of land I own. 3) it isn't really a crime, am I killing or robbing someone here?Those are the perceptions to fight if you want to stop this "uncontrolled growth" so common in new peripheral areas of Bangalore.
Will Sakrama prevent or fix these? Sakrama seeks to 'pardon' examples like above with one time penalty, as if these points of entropy have caused just one time inconvenience to the citizens! The scheme doesn't entice, encourage or force the existing owners to try remedial corrections. A hefty recurring annual surcharge on property tax could make people think. A serious parking enforcement drive which could cut the flow of customers to these small businesses could make them think.
BTW, don't pin your hopes on a sealing or demolition drive initiated by courts or a few activist bureaucrats. The Delhi experience tells us that a thing like that would eventually lead to lawmakers amending the masterplan itself to change the definition of norms and planning.
Its a real strange mess, a situation where democracy seems to be its own enemy. There are just so many of these examples around (small 3-4 floor commercial complexes, wedding halls, residences on smallish sites) that there can be no 'popular' solution without altering the very laws and norms.
[Very important disclaimer: I have nothing personal for or against the businesses photographed here. These photos are more for representation purposes. Moreover, I may not be accurate in my interpretation of byelaws, norms and violations]
Forward this Blog entry
Comments
bang on.
awesome post. right on the ball on the consequences of this. as you said, demolition is not going to happen. but what if they:
1) first ban parking on ORR AND then
2) deny trade licence for businesses that operate in the vioalting sections of the building. (those shops which were supposed to be parking areas).
sakrama regularizes deviation in construction. but can they still leverage the trade licence, to achieve this?
did some digging around after i wrote that...
you say, these types of cases are a serious health hazard, bbmp says they take public health pretty seriously and if a business violates public health, no trade licence. atleast on paper.. check this out...
http://www.bmponline.org/account-dept/tradelicence.shtml
specifically check this out...
http://www.bmponline.org/account-dept/trade/faq.pdf
the problem is, from what little read around, zonal regulation is classification is very broad, residential, commercial etc... do you know where to look for parking in the basement law?
Strict rules and implementation
I agree with TS. If they implement this it should work. Otherwise cancel their licence. Can they also ask courts not to accept stay orders?? damn thats a dampner on anything good that is on its way...
parking ban and parking tickets..
Ban parking is a good way to drive away the business from such shops and atleast then there will be some order and people will think away from 'traffic..its not my problem'
COming to how to enforce parking ban..would like to take an instance of Gandhibazaar..anyday anytime there will be the 'tiger' prowling to catch violators..its worked pretty ok..recently its again become a money making source for the cops..300Rs receipt fine and 100 for non receipt..
My father, being a late user of vehicles, had parked this two wheeler on DVG road last year inbetween two cars..as he came back he saw a parking ticket for 200rs! He propltly got to the station the next day to pay the fine! I thought that was a good way of enforcement which would also plug the loophole in the enforcement system..
Unfortunately this ticket system has been stopped now..this needs to be revived and used for the good purpose!
Pardoning Culprits is an invitation for more
Sakrama :
In my opinion, this should never have been introduced. A violation is, & will remain a violation & can never become legitimate, unless the buildung is demolished & a new structure put up that complies with all bye-laws & statutes.
However, in this country, such violations are the norm - most houses have violated bye-laws, let alone petty shops & other small scale buisnesses, as detailed by SB above, which is a real shame.
What the govt needs to work on is to find a method to introduce higher taxes for buildings that have violated norms, based on certain criteria where larger the violations are, higher the taxes, together with a penalty.
The essential question is - how will they succeeed in doing this ??
For a start, neutral agencies appointed by the govt need to compile a database of such illegal structures, with full details, drawings, photos, etc. Thus, costs would be involved, but it may be worth the effort. By then, the matter would have reached the courts through various PILs, shop-keeper associations, traders, etc. etc. - so, the data would come handy & cases would be fought - & a possible outcome would be a 'slight' increase in the taxes- okay, fine, but its a start. The next step is to hike up the taxes for only the violators at next revision. The govt has now made a great move, politically, they are not increasing taxes for those that have stayed within the law. The truth always wins, - this is now coming true, etc..
Again, courts, lawyers, etc. - but a more stiffer tax for violators. And so on so forth.
In due course, the costs of maintaining such illegitimate buildings will hurt owners' pockets & they will prefer to stay within the law by demolishing /resizing their buildings. This will also keep a lid on violations in new structures.
Legitimising illegal structures is a recipe for disaster & an open invitation for fence sitters to hop on & do the same - it's highly profitable, though we are culprits !!
Kudos Hats off to you for
byelaws got it.
the corruption bhootha!
goodwill money does rounds for everything and anything..
liquor stores near schools and temples..
extortion in the name of sakrama(BBMP/BDA officials would be very much aware of homes violating rules when they come to fix tax rates)..
few examples of how a corrupt system remains corrupt!
as a rule, it should be
as a rule, it should be ensured that any building having a basement, uses the basment only for parking or utilities, for which it is meant to be. it should never be used for businesses
Srinath Heragu
Links to byelaws and regulations
Tarle, I knew you would find them (byelaws) before I returned to comment. Here are zoning regulations from Bangalore local body sites:
I am not clear if separate set of byelaws apply to the BBMP/BDA/BMRDA administered regions. BBMP link talks about Karnataka Municipal Act of 1976, BMRDA one Karnataka Act 39 of 1985, and BDA site has the zonal regulations as in Masterplan-2015.
Regardless, look what these 'laws' say about parking in this particular example (a two floor restaurant with total area of about 150 sq meters)
So, the Masterplan has not only reduced the definition of car parking area (from 18 sq m to 13.75 sq meters), it requires 1 spot per 75 sqm - three times as relaxed than the norm in BBMP/BMRDA byelaws !!
Actually, the parking requirements are interesting for Kalyana Mantapas as well.
So the norm is five times as relaxed now, and I am sure that even after that 75% of Kalyana Mantapas of Bangalore dont comply.
Anyway, enjoy reading the byelaw documents. And then wonder why we have laws when we dont bother to enforce.
As to what we can do, I am inspired by recent RTI applications Biz-Standard have been sending to DDA in Delhi. How about we ask questions like:
- When was the last time a commercial establishment was asked to comply to parking norms?
- How much does BBMP spend to ensure compliance of these byelaws
- How many violations have been recorded in last one year, how many pending in court, any punishments handed out in last one year
- Can neighboring citizens report violations? Who to report to? Is anonymity guaranteed (like the whistle blowers act) ?
Naveen, shall we try a query like above? We can pick a business (Picking a Kalyana Mantapa would be easy) and ask questions around it - when was it last audited for byelaws, how much parking space does it show in BBMP's records.Bye-Laws - The Revised Master Plan
SB /TS,
You've done a lot of digging - I had been to BDA some time ago to check out the new CDP-2015 (when it had just been announced), in fact bought a xerox copy set of the bye-laws at a nearby xerox shop since it was'nt yet on the net then (BDA was only selling the complete set with large maps for Rs.5000/-!). I had enquired at the PRO's office & was given to understand that the norms had been relaxed a'la Mumbai since the city will soon have a metro system & people were expected to arrive by trains instead of cars! Also, as already announced by the press, for areas within a short distance of the metro corridors, FARs wud be increased to 3.25 when metro is operational - this is stated in the bye-laws.
Thus, I presume that the 2003 BBMP bye-laws are now invalid, whereas the BMRDA ones are still valid for areas outside the BDA defined areas - upto appx'ly PRR.
SB - I think the best wud be to pick a kalyana mantap in koramangala - I know one on 80-ft peripheral road (near the bus terminus) - several hundred cars are parked on the road when there is a marriage there - also, noticed in the past that it was being used for sales like sarees & other household goods ! It's an ideal candidate - what do you think ?
Footpath Parking - Akkrma!
-- PhotoYogi
Metro usage...
bang on
Terrific Work - Photoyogi !
How can a bank of the stature of HDFC post a board that says "Parking ---- etc" ?
This is an indirect invitation to park & allow clients & customers to misuse public space, without wanting to take on responsibility. Cops should take them to task for posting such a notice & ask them to post a simple "No Parking" notice, instead.
lets do one next week
lets write to HDFC
@Photoyogi
Why dont you send a link to this page to concerned HDFC officials and lets see what we can get out of it. We can even do a CNN-IBN citizen journalist show on this matter. What say?
Bye-Laws - Laxity
SB - Noted, can meet as convenient.
You are right - it may be better to raise a general issue & then ask abt a specific area or set of kalyana mantaps.
BTW, physically saw the places depicted on yr pictures !
HDFC - mail sent
-- PhotoYogi
banks/companies cant enforce..
They can do it within their premises but on the road/footpath, enforcement is not their job..Bangaloreans are known for asking uncomfortable questions 'footpath nimmada'? 'let the cops take, then we will see!'
It again boils down to user awareness!
Obligation
@blrsri
I agree with you, but, HDFC as a business that is "minting" money, has an obligation to provide proper parking facilities to its customers (albeit on a charge-basis) and socially to prevent this nuisance from occurring as a direct result of it running its business on the premises. Its about doing business the right way and they should perhaps take cues from other corporates doing it. I have seen many bank employees using footpaths as a daily parking lot, let them start with themselves first.
How about delegating ...
... this type of enforcement to the businesses that benefit from the misuse of public space? HDFC may not be doing it intentionally, but many small businesses bank on parking space, or even shelf space on the edge of the roads or footpaths. Why not make the offending vehicle and the nearby business share the fine whenever someone parks in a no parking region?
Customers want to park as close to the shops as possible, its convenient for them, and businesses dont mind anything that makes things convenient for their customers. So it is a happy marriage that can be disrupted only by rigorous enforcement.
The enforcement is a problem because, perhaps, of staff shortage (bandwidth problem) that police or BBMP has. Assuming this is one of the valid excuses, why not delegate the enforcement job down to these same shops and businesses?
Granted, extreme measures like demolitions etc may not happen in our soft and 'chalta hai' country. But money talks. Consistent penalties and fines would be nice impediments to this tendency which has literally eaten up our city. Pay 150% surcharge on property tax every year. Pay 2000 Rs fine (which would be kind of a fee for 'usage' of public space) every day for your customers who park illegally - and then businesses and building owners will start thinking, hmmm, let me rearrange my bricks, or scale down the business.
There was a proposal by
There was a proposal by Government to use empty plots (Wherever available) as Parking place and the site owner would get his share of the revenue.
I wonder what happened to this idea. I felt it was good.
HDFC Bank Customer support Response
-- PhotoYogi
Uncontrolled growth - any remedies?
Regards,
Pradeep
“An act of charity by the citizens questions the worthiness of the government.”
i agree with you partly we
i agree with you partly
we should not Bangalore development but develop Bangalore properly
for development of other towns & cities, the first task would be
- to build international class expressways betwenn Bangalore and these cities / towns
- make commuting between Bangalore and these towns a pleasure,
- reduce the commuting time and
- develop these towns so that a sizeable population of Bangalore will stay in these towns and commute to Bangalore for work & retuen back after work.
Srinath Heragu
Polite Notice @ Dosa Camp - Jayanagar
-- PhotoYogi
Hospital and parking
Here is where the ambulance stands, almost throughout the day, consuming 1 of the 4 lanes of this recently widened road.
Hospital hasn't planned for parking, neither does it have a basement, so its customers turn into petty parking criminals.
Bikes etc park on the pavement, they do leave some space for folks to walk. However, the little space left un-constructed inside the hospital land isn't offered for parking use.
I dont have to put up pictures of the side road near this hospital, you would know how a 12 feet road with cars parked on both sides would look.
As far as I know, in return for making liberal use of city's public space, the hospital doesn't offer any subsidized services to the neighborhood. Neighbors whine, but to best of my knowledge don't feel like complaining yet.
Whats the resolution here? What would you as BBMP do to solve this? And how should an active citizen act to unclog this misuse of public space? Or is this okay because the business happens to be a hospital?
Hospitals, Nursing Homes & Parking Requirements
SB - Good Take.
This reminds me of an objection filed by many of the nearby residents against an Eye hospital in Rajajinagar several years ago, when traffic was beginning to be a menace in quiet residential areas. As regards health care facilities, the bye-laws were quite lenient then & permitted running the same within residential areas. In the case of this particular eye clinic, it had become a full-fledged large hospital in the middle of a quiet, peaceful neighbourhood, with a lot of commercial-like activity with hundreds attending each day & the related traffic movements, etc.
I had lost track of the issue then, but beleive that the residents had lost their case since the hospital continues to operate to this day, with perhaps increased levels of commotion.
There are two sides to this story :
1. The need for medical services within neighbourhoods for quick & convenient healthcare options for people; &
2. The nuisance that comes with it since almost all who attend arrive by vehicles - this is of more recent vintage, & recognizing this, the Master Plan has made certain recommendations.
As per Table-23 of the Revised Master Plan, 2015, the following parking requirements are to be met :Item-11 : Nursing homes (hospitals with upto 30 beds) - 1 parking slot for each 50sqm of Floor area.
Item-12 : Hospitals - 1 parking slot for each 100sqm of floor area.
Each parking slot is defined as 2.5 x 5.5m area.
These requirements appear to be insufficient, nevertheless, they have been stipulated.
I think the hospital in question does not comply with these requirements - if the floor area is about 1,000 sq.m (10,000 sq.ft), they are required to provide at least 10 parking slots.
hospital
possible solutions?
No tarle, that pic shows the no parking board on the other side of the road. This hospital has no basement.
Again, this is an example. I am not picking and attacking one business here, so have been careful about naming it. I only wanted to pose a question, what are the possible remedies for the situation?
If this establishment has to provide 10-12 parking slots, but it can't - what does it do, or what does BBMP say when they realize that there is no space for 10-12 slots? Is reconstructing a part of the hospital the only option?
Possible solutions:
- Ask this business to part demolish and reconstruct if it wants to continue. Unrealistic? Okay, see next.
- Charge hospital a monthly or annual fee for using public space for parking. Rents should be at market price for 12 x 3 x 6 = 216 sqft of space, plus an 'inconvenience' fee
- Risk above is that hospital may only be too happy with it. And it may encourage other businesses with deep pockets to. So then, if the annual amount turns out to be negligible to prevent the business from planning more growth, enforce parking on the adjoining road by either prevention, or by charging those who park. That should discourage use of private transport to come to the hospital.
- Ask hospital to reduce its fees because it is using the "goodwill" of city and neighboring residents. How about an annual "congestion" surcharge, or a "goodwill" tax !?
What could Sakrama do to these businesses? A one time penalty, and that too after the business most likely uses its "connections" to "reduce" its violation precentage to a safe "low" value.recipe for disaster
This is a huge dilemma any which way you look at it. Is it feasible to demolish or alter the building to incorporate the parking requirements? Is it right to allow them to use the road - for a fee albeit? which roads will you allow ? Will you allow that on MG Road? or Ring Road for that matter? if someone is willing to pay a fee? I think its time we insisted on the authorities coming down hard on it. Thats the only way - we can bring some sense of sanity to our city. Sakrama was too loosely defined -- "90%" violations as SB rightly said can be brought down to "50%" using connections et al. But at least thats a good start - and Sakrama as mentioned in a few other posts -- needs to be annual - a punishment every year- may be with incremental values so as to force the violators to bring down the offending parts over a few years. Most commercial buildings (if not all) believe that they own the footpath and the road in front of their building and invariably use the footpath to keep their wares. This needs to be strictly monitored and penalties collected. But is there a political will? The government officials will lose an important source of 'illegal' revenue (BBMP, Police, Legal Metrology, Food & Civil Supplies et al). I think the HDFC story is the right way to start - putting pressure on a "reputed" company will atleast yield some results. I will be writing to the HDFC head at Bangalore on this and will keep you all posted on the results. If anybody has an update - let us know.
the solution would be for
the solution would be for the hospital to close down andmove to a better place with lot of parking space
BOSCH footpath akrama
Saw this next to BOSCH office in Koramangala..looks like they encroach on footpaths not just in Blr but also in Germany!
This is just too rampant
Lets make a photo gallery type post here of all such cases. Snap and shoot, upload on flickr with tags Bangalore, Praja, Footpath, Pedestrians
We will make a dedicated section for pavement encroachers on the website. blrsri - do you want to lead with a post with your pics.
To me, when small or big businesses do it, it is about "not paying the full cost" of doing business. Forcing pedestrians off the footpath on to the road is one matter, but I wish these type of guys paid BBMP some money for using the public space for their business.
Parking deviations to be investigated
Buildings over 10,000 sqft to be investigated for parking space deviations according to this TOI story.
Also there are few more proposals mentioned in the story about how BTP and BBMP are planning to join hands to reduce traffic problems. However the story has no mention of BBMP's take or commitment towards this.
-Shastri
-Shastri
why residency road is oneway..
..and why we have a signal on the richmond road flyover?
Its because children of the 'cream of our society' need cars/vans waiting for them outside their schools. And these so called institutions which nurture the future generations, encourage violations all around them!
This is infornt of Bishop Cottons School..it is a designated 2 wheeler parking area that is totally encroached by long parking school vans and cars!
This scenario on the road is repeated further that road infront of another reputed school/college!