‘No Pubs, No Shops’: Why B’lureans Want Their Neighbourhoods Back

The residents of Indiranagar are putting up a fight against the rampant commercialisation of their locality.

Raj Kumar Pillai, a civil engineer, is one among many residents in Bengaluru's Indiranagar who had to soundproof his house. Unable to bear the loud music from the pub next to his apartment, he decided to shell out Rs 2 lakh for soundproofing.

In November 2016, based on his petition, the Karnataka High Court had ordered BBMP to act on Pillai’s noise pollution complaint. But the orders were never enforced by the BBMP, and he says soundproofing was a desperate measure.

(This video was sent to The Quint by citizens of Bengaluru. Video by Smriti Mehra.)

The rapid commercialisation of residential areas has made it difficult for many like Pillai. It is not just the entertainment hubs in residential areas, but firms, and many of the startups that operate out of the residential buildings have added to their woes.

These frustrations, built up over the years, found voice when more than 4,100 petitions with over 20,000 signatures were sent to Urban Development Department (UDD) after it decided to water down the rules even further.

The latest draft for common zone regulation, which proposes to allow commercial establishments on roads wider than 29.5 feet, has been opposed fiercely by residents. They say, with most of the roads being around 30 feet wide, there won’t be any residential areas left in the city.

(This video was sent to The Quint by citizens of Bengaluru. Video by Smriti Mehra.)

The Common Zone Regulations

The new draft common zone regulations, which the residents oppose, aim to create a common rule for the entire state. If implemented, a metro like Bengaluru and a small town in rural Karnataka will have the same rules for setting up commercial establishments.

In a rural setup, allowing more commercial establishments wouldn’t be a problem, but in Bengaluru, where most of the roads are around 30 feet wide, living in a residential area would be a nightmare.

What the notification says

“In the ease of doing business initiative of the government, the procedure for grant of approval for development of land and buildings are to be streamlined, including faster and transparent procedures. Automation of such procedures for approval is to be put in place for the entire state. This process shall require the adoption of Common Zonal Regulations applicable to all the planning areas.”

A Long Battle for Residents

The struggle is not new for the residents – it started as early as 2007. Bengaluru master plan (a road map for urban development) for 2015, prepared in 2007 had come under severe criticism from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs). The masterplan allowed commercial establishments on roads that are 40 feet wide or more.

The RWAs fought a six-year legal battle and got a favourable ruling from the Karnataka High Court. The master plan was then amended to not allow commercial establishments on roads that 40 feet wide.

Even after the victory in the High Court, the RWAs’ struggle continued. There were several violations of the High Court ruling across the city and many residential areas in the city saw reckless commercialisation in residential areas.

Residents of Indiranagar, fed up by these blatant violations, have been holding silent, candlelight vigils outside illegal commercial establishments, on every weekend for the past four months.

Illegal establishments 

Praveen S of the ‘I Change Indiranagar’ initiative said as per BBMP records, in ward number 80 of Indiranagar, roughly two square kilometres had 556 establishments operating in violation of the zonal regulations and they continue to operate in residential areas.

Getting Around the Court Order

Even as this battle was raging, the new common zone regulation draft was introduced, threatening to set the clock back to 2007. Residents claim, if implemented, this new regulation would make the situation worse than in 2007, where commercial establishments will be allowed to operate on roads that are 30 feet wide.

BBMP officials have been pulled up several times for not following the HC order. So, if this new draft is approved, the rules change and the court order becomes invalid.

Akshay Mallappa, Defence Colony Residents’ Welfare Association

What Next?

On Monday – the last date for filing objections against the new draft – representatives of several RWAs met KJ George, Minister for Bengaluru Development. Following a two-hour discussion, George said the government would consider the objections of the residents.

The government now has three options:

1. They can scrap the draft,
2. Make amendments to have separate rules for cities based on population,
3. Or go ahead with the draft, ignoring the objection.

Apart from the assurances to look in to the matter, the government is yet to speak up on it but residents say they will fight till they get their neighbourhood back.

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