Bengaluru: Private roads and drains in urban and municipal areas could soon come under the control of local bodies if they deteriorate to the extent of posing a threat to public health and safety, following the Karnataka Assembly’s approval of two key amendment bills on Thursday.
The Assembly passed the Karnataka Municipalities (Amendment) Bill, 2026 and the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill, 2026, amid strong opposition and protests from BJP members.
Under the amendments, if a private road or drain in a city or town falls into disrepair and poses a risk to public health or safety, the municipal commissioner or competent authority can declare it a public road and take it over for maintenance.
Once taken over, the local body will be responsible for its development and upkeep.
A key provision is that the original landowners will not be entitled to monetary compensation after a private road is declared public. They will also not be eligible for a Transferable Development Rights (TDR) certificate as an alternative form of compensation.
Owners of private roads or layouts, however, can themselves approach the concerned municipal body seeking to have their roads declared public.
The Opposition criticised the amendments, arguing that taking over private property without compensation could violate property rights. It also warned that the provisions could be misused by officials to selectively take over roads in private layouts.
The government, however, said the amendments would help resolve the long-standing problem of poorly maintained roads in private layouts and ensure better public infrastructure.
