Bengaluru civic body's drive against commercial entities creates confusion

The Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike’s (BBMP) crackdown on shops and commercial establishments in residential areas has created confusion among shop owners and municipal body officials alike. Reason: Several roads in the city that are commercial in nature, complete with shops and establishments on both sides, are being treated as residential in the Revised Master Plan (RMP) - 2015. Even those BBMP officials who have been issuing notices for closure are unsure of how to deal with shops given licences a decade ago. Take DVG Road in south Bengaluru for instance. The Bangalore Development Authority’s RMP-2015 classifies this road, which is less than 40 feet wide, as residential whereas the road stretching for more than one km is commercial in nature. With several establishments on this road issued trade licences a decade ago, and their licences renewed every year, the BBMP fears retaliation by shopkeepers, many of whom have been carrying out commercial activities for several years. The city corporation, which has initiated the drive against illegal shops and establishments several times in the past, began the latest exercise following deputy chief minister G Parameshwara’s directive to crackdown on illegal shops in residential areas. As on January 19, the municipal body has shut down 726 shops and issued notices to 8,493 establishments.