BBMP moots jail term for owners, engineers violating building by-laws

The BBMP has prepared a draft in which it says the officials and owners who have built homes by ignoring the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) rules will be sent to jail. This decision was taken by BBMP after eight people died at an under construction building in Bellanduru. The owner was given a permission to build only three floors but he violated building by-law and constructed two more floors. While the building was under construction, the building collapsed and killed 8 persons including a security guard of a neighbouring building.

Following the incident, the BBMP was being criticised for not taking any action against the concerned officers in connection with building by-law violations and so it prepared a proposal to nail such officials. "Now if the officials like engineers and plan sanctioning authorities have ignored or overlooked mistakes in building plan, allowed construction beyond permissible limits, issued occupation certificates without proper verification or if the owner has tweaked the building plan.  They can be  booked under various Karnataka Municipal Corporation Acts and sent to jail varying from two days to up to two years," said Padmavathi, the Mayor of Bengaluru.

If an owner has constructed or reconstructed a structure without the BBMP commissioner’s permission, he can be jailed under Section 300 of KMC. Further, if the concerned engineer has failed to stop an unlawful construction or failed in demolishing a structure that have come up illegally, he or she will be booked under Section 321 of KMC. A ₹50,000 fine and a jail term of 2 years has been proposed under this section.

Similarly, if the engineer fails to issue notices to owners for violation, he or she will be booked under Section 321 (1) where a person has to pay a fine of ₹50,000 and serve three months jail term. Under Section  310 (2) ₹50,000 and jail term of 2 years is proposed for concerned engineers if they give occupancy certificate without the completion of a building. 

A lot these building have been built because of the underhand dealings between citizens, BBMP officials and politicians. When a fatality occurs because of laxity on the part of the BBMP and engineers, the blame game begins. The process to check such carelessness can be done earlier on and even certificates guaranteeing no violations of BBMP by-laws could be a possible measure to curb such underhand dealings. 

These violations contribute to the improper planning of the city and if a jail term is actually brought in, it will prevent such building owners from paying their way out of construction violations.

• BBMP
• construction violation in Benagaluru
• building by-laws violated
• construction mafia Bengaluru
• jail for BBMP engineers