Building Penalisation Scheme fills the coffers but leaves Tirupati in disarray

Tirupati: It is intriguing to note that the Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS) is filling the coffers cheering the government but leaving the planned growth of the city in disarray. 

The government taken up BPS thrice− in 1998, 2009 and again 2015 giving the chance to the building owners regularise the plan violations, adding more to the haphazard growth and congesting the city, leaving the people in lurch. Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT) netted an income of Rs 30.46 crore under BPS from 1,750 building owners for regularisation of the plan violations in the pilgrim city.

In all, 2,316 applications were received for regularisation of plan violations under BPS in 2015 in which 36 rejected leaving 530 still pending for regularisation, according to MCT sources. Katari Kesavulu Chettu, a social activist running an NGO ‘Satya Spandana’ said the BPS turned into a curse, though it is providing the much-needed money to the funds starved government.

The three spells of BPS sent a wrong signal to the building owners that the government will again and again announce the BPS inducing more plan violations. “Interestingly, it is a win-win situation for the employees, government and plan violators but a misery to people.

The employees were for obvious reasons turning their back on the plan violations. While the building owners construct as they like with fond hope of government announce BPS that is cheering both. The ultimate loser is the city and its people,” he lamented. Enquiries revealed that the BPS provides for regularisation plan violation even if it is hundred percent. 

In other words, even the constructions that made on the entire extent of the site leaving no space in front, back or on the sides were regularised thanks to BPS. It is naturally emboldening the building owners to violate the approved plan, leaving not an inch of open space resulting in the city becoming more congested. 

The narrow lanes and by lanes in the temple city adding more to the cramming of the city particularly in the old town areas, adding more to the woes of the city administrators struggling for the maintenance of drain, roads, upkeep of the streets and traffic management.

Restricting vehicle movements by erecting poles in many busy streets including commercial areas like Old Huzur Office Road, TK Street and in many narrow lanes give the tell-tale picture of the horrible result of unplanned growth of Tirupati city while the outside population about one lakh including pilgrims more than 70,000 on an average, students, patients, businessmen and others arriving to the city daily adding more to congestion.

WM Bhaktavatsalam, president, Tirupati Association of Planners and Engineers (TAPE) however blamed the government for not being practical with regard to planned constructions. In places like Tirupati, the demand for dwellings is huge due limited scope for city expansion coupled with soaring land value, increasing plan violations.

Factors like increasing family members due to marriage of grown up children and demand for more income meet growing financial needs also forcing building owners expand the existing structure, without approval, he explained. A long-drawn strategy involving building owners, private planners and engineers and municipal official required to curb plan violations, he opined. 

Assistant City Planner (ACP) Gunasekhar said that the Corporation has no choice with regard to BPS but to follow government orders. He ruled out any irregularity in BPS as the entire process is online. Based on the documents submitted by the building owner through a licensed technical person (LTP), the plan violation is regularised duly.

The fee for regularisation is fixed not by officials but by the system based on the document provided by the building owner on the plan violations, he averred. “If any suppression of facts found later in our inspection, LTP license will be cancelled and owner too face severe penal action,” he said, explaining that the regularisation process under BPS is transparent.  

By G Sridhar