BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices on Wednesday to several respondents, including two retired IAS officers, a businessman, the Urban Administration Commissioner, the Bhopal Municipal Commissioner, the Director of Town and Country Planning, and the builder associated with the upscale ‘Whispering Palms’ development near Kaliyasot dam.
The notices concern allegations of excessive construction by certain residents, which contravene the Bhopal Master Plan-2005 guidelines.
The bench led by Justice Vishal Mishra issued these notices during a preliminary hearing of a petition filed by Mahesh Singh Parmar and Raj Bahadur Prasad. Their lawyers, Rahul Diwakar and Harshwardhan Tiwari, claimed that some residents were engaged in “blatantly illegal and excessively large” construction within this ecologically sensitive area near the Kaliyasot dam.
The petitioners emphasized that the project, ‘Whispering Layout,’ was approved solely as a low-density residential area under the Bhopal Master Plan-2005. As per zoning and planning regulations for low-density zones, the permitted floor area ratio (FAR) is 1:0.06, which limits construction to 6% of the total plot area.
The minimum plot size required is 10,000 sq ft, thereby capping construction at no more than 600 sq ft per plot.
However, the petitioners argue that the respondents have breached these regulations by constructing over 50% of the plot size—more than 5,000 sq ft—disregarding the approved plans and regulations. They stress that the low-density zoning in the vicinity of Kaliyasot dam is critical for urban planning and ecological purposes, which the illegal constructions have severely undermined.
Following the initial hearing, notices were issued to all respondents by Justice Vishal Mishra’s court. The case is set for further consideration on November 24.
