Tighten the responsibility system for officials who have failed to stop illegal construction

To curb significant action in unauthorized buildings, the state has notified the Karnataka Planning Bureau (the fines on jurisdictional officials failed to prevent unauthorized development), 2021.

These rules come into effect on April 8, 2025, and officials with jurisdiction are directly responsible for failure to prevent illegal layout of development and deviation from the approved plan.

The notice states that competent authorities based on jurisdiction will impose penalties. A fair hearing must be conducted on the defendant before any punishment is executed. All fines collected will be routed to designated government accounts and used for development purposes.

The notice clearly identified who has answers in every field for officials of urban and rural planning agencies (from BDA, BBMP, urban development authorities and Gram Panchayats). The BDA Commissioner, the BBMP Commissioner, is also responsible for paying the fine under the notice.

Under the new framework, any official who finds negligence will face strict penalties: the first offence is fined Rs 50,000 and the second offence is ₹1,00,000, and the third and subsequent offence reports should be submitted to the state government under the Karnataka Citizen Service Rules.

Officials punished under these rules can appeal within 45 days. The appeal will be reviewed by senior authorities within 90 days to ensure fair procedures.