BENGALURU: Physically challenged allottees who were eagerly waiting for sites to be registered in their names after making full payment were in for a shock last week. They received official letters which asked them to pay up an additional Rs 1 lakh each.
The letter was issued despite the notification clearly specifying that ‘Persons With Disabilities’ were offered a concession of Rs 1 lakh. An assurance to this effect was also given by the BDA commissioner when they met him recently.
A total of 4,970 allottees were given sites in Phase-II on September 25, 2018. “Three per cent of the overall allottees, totalling 149 were allotted sites under the disability category. They are provided a concession running to a maximum of Rs one lakh on the total site amount,” said a senior BDA official. An order issued by the Urban Development department, dated August 17, 2017, specifies this.Srinivasarao Maraka, owner of a site in 7th Block in Bheemannakuppe area, told The New Indian Express: “I made full payment on February 14 this year after availing a bank loan. We were assured by the BDA commissioner that Rs 1 lakh would be subsidised for us.”
Those with disabilities will be put through a lot of inconvenience even if we get the sum reimbursed later, he pointed out. “I need to approach the bank again for a small loan and this will delay the registration process. There is no co-ordination between the various departments inside the BDA. One department tells us there is no need to pay and another department issues letters asking us to pay up,” the allottee pointed out.
Ravi Prakash (name changed on request) was provided a 30x40 site in Challaghatta area. He said, “I was told to pay only Rs 22,25,000 totally instead of 23,25,000 when I went to make my final payment on January 11, 2019. Now, this is a big headache for us just as we were eagerly waiting to register the sites in our name.” Another allottee V Prasad said he was disappointed with the letter. When contacted, a BDA official said, “Let the PWD allottees pay up now. They can later submit documents to us and we will submit it to the health department and get it reimbursed.”
The KG Layout is spread across 4043 acres in Yeshwantpur and Kengeri hoblis in the villages of Sheegehalli,Kannelli, Kodigehalli, Manganahalli, Bheemanakuppe, Ramasagara, Sulikere, Kenchanapura, Ramasandra, Kommaghatta Krishnasagara and Challaghatta.