BENGALURU: Though BBMP has been sending stern warning to buildings owners for violating sanctioned building plan, it has miserably failed in curbing the functioning of unauthorised marriage halls, leading to loss of revenue. Most marriage halls are built by flouting BBMP sanctioned plan and the basement, meant for vehicle parking, is often being used as dining area. Hence vehicles are parked on roads, leading to traffic congestion.
RTI activist Ravindranath Guru, who filed Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the BDA’s mixed zone concept, said that as per BBMP (South) health wing’s claim out of 170 marriage halls 110 are unlicenced. The authorities promised to initiate action against unauthorized or unlicensed marriage halls and party halls. But the urban development authorities and the BBMP have been dillydallying on taking action against owners of these marriage halls, he added.
There are about 2,058 marriage and party halls across the city and half of them are running without a licence from the BBMP and nearly 90 per cent of them have been built in violating the sanctioned building plan. Marriage halls charge exorbitantly and have been evading tax and licence fee the BBMP.
Instead of increasing property tax from next year, the authorities must crack the whip on these unauthorized units and tax should be collected in proportion to the rent they levy on citizens. This could be a windfall for the BBMP, Guru observed.
“Frankly speaking, these unauthorized marriage halls are running right under the nose of officials and corporators. There is a nexus between officials, corporators and marriage hall owners. At least 20 per cent of their annual income should go to BBMP in the form of tax. But these units pay a pittance. Since some of the corporators own marriage halls in the city they have turned a blind eye. Simply, because they do not want the business and the quantum of profit to be affected,” said Guru.
He said he would meet urban development authorities and Mayor B. N. Manjunath Reddy to demand action against such unaurhorised marriage halls.
