DHARWAD: Taking serious note of widespread violations of building norms by commercial complexes and apartment buildings in the twin cities, the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) has decided to initiate action to restore designated parking spaces in such buildings.
Presiding over the general body meeting here on Friday, mayor Jyothi Patil termed the issue serious and said it must be addressed, keeping in mind the future growth of Hubballi and Dharwad.
She said the corporation would scrutinise completion certificates (CC) issued to commercial complexes and apartment buildings over the past five years. If property owners are found to have violated norms by failing to provide parking space, unauthorised basement structures—especially those rented out for commercial use—will be demolished to create parking facilities.
The decision followed concerns raised by floor leader Iresh Anchatgeri over indiscriminate roadside parking leading to congestion and bottlenecks across the twin cities.
Initiating the discussion, Anchatgeri said that over the past five years, more than 250 apartment buildings and a similar number of commercial complexes have come up in Hubballi and Dharwad. He alleged that officials had issued completion and occupancy certificates without proper inspection of parking facilities. With over two lakh properties and more than four lakh vehicles in twin cities, the lack of parking space in buildings has forced residents to park vehicles on roads, worsening traffic congestion.
He further alleged that some town planning officials colluded with property owners to issue occupancy certificates despite violations. Besides demolishing unauthorised basement structures rented out for commercial purposes, he demanded strict action against erring officials.
Corporator Vijayanand Shetty supported the demand, stating that several multi-storey paying guest (PG) accommodations in Dharwad lack parking facilities, forcing students to park vehicles on roads and causing inconvenience. He added that in some areas roads have been encroached upon and many localities do not even have the required nine-metre-wide roads.
Corporators Shivu Menasinkai, Satish Hangal, Tippanna Majjagi and Shivu Hiremath also pointed out that several marriage halls lack parking space, leading to severe traffic problems during functions. Congress corporator Rajshekar Kamati suggested imposing heavy penalties on violators.
Responding to these concerns, the mayor said HDMC would act based on inspection reports and demolish unauthorised basement structures in buildings that have failed to provide parking space as per norms.
Corporation hospital facelift sought
Congress corporator Kavita Kabber urged the House to renovate the corporation hospital located near the old bus stand in Dharwad.
Appealing to the Mayor, she urged the corporation to mobilise funds from MPs, MLAs and other sources, and allocate resources in the upcoming budget to upgrade the hospital.
In response, mayor Patil said a House committee would be formed to assess the facilities required at the hospital and submit a report for further action.
She also noted complaints about drinking water shortages at the civil hospital and government schools, and directed HDMC commissioner Rudresh Ghali to instruct the L&T company to ensure uninterrupted water supply to all government hospitals and schools.
