Mangaluru: Former minister J Krishna Palemar has urged the state govt to immediately revise the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority (Muda) Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) and its new zoning regulations, alleging that several provisions are unscientific, impractical and detrimental to the interests of ordinary citizens.Addressing the media on Wednesday, he pointed out technical flaws in the regulations, which he said were causing hardship to homeowners, builders and those seeking construction approvals.Palemar criticised the Unified Land Management System (ULMS), which mandates an online approval process for buildings below 500 sqm, while larger multi-storey projects are allowed a comparatively faster offline process. He said the online system requires coordination among 10 different departments and frequently encounters OTP failures, document-upload errors and difficulties in identifying wards. The lack of coordination between the revenue department, Muda and Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC), he alleged, has resulted in months of delays and considerable mental stress for small-site owners.He also questioned the telescopic setback provision under Rule 6.9.8, describing it as illogical and a potential fire safety hazard. “A 21 m or 70-foot-high seven-storey building is allowed a mere 1 m setback, while an ordinary two-storey house for a common man requires a 1.5 m setback. Where is the justice in this?” he asked.Warning about the implications during emergencies, Palemar said, “If a fire breaks out in a 70 ft building with a 1 m setback, even a fire engine or ladder cannot enter to rescue residents.”He further objected to the mandatory 12 m road-width requirement for constructing schools, hotels and apartments. He said the provision was impractical in Mangaluru, where several roads are only 6 m wide or narrower, and could restrict the renovation and expansion of existing establishments.“Religious centres, including temples, churches and mosques, located on narrow 3 ft roads will be entirely denied renovation or extension permits under the new 12 m road mandate, cutting them off from govt grants and basic facilities,” he stated.Palemar also criticised the withdrawal of transferable development rights (TDR) and premium floor area ratio (FAR) benefits for land surrendered along 6 m and 7.5 m roads. He said the move unfairly penalises property owners who voluntarily surrender land for road widening.Raising concerns over delays in layout approvals, he said applications were taking two to three years to clear due to bureaucratic hurdles, artificially increasing site prices and making housing unaffordable for middle-class families.He also questioned the CDP’s proposed road alignments, particularly the proposed Mangala Corniche riverfront road, which he alleged was being used as a reason to deny single site approvals to residents.Palemar urged the state govt to overhaul the regulations, stating that urban planning policies should prioritise public safety, practical development requirements and the rights of ordinary citizens.
