Fee to regularise illegal buildings on Bangalore Development Authority layouts to be axed by half
BENGALURU: The State government is likely to slash by 50 per cent, the fee to be paid on houses built unauthorisedly before 2008, on lands notified by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) for regularising them, said a highly placed source. This follows an exceptionally poor response to the move effected by the government two years ago to regularise them, with an amendment to the BDA Act.
The dismal response prompted the BDA to recommend this reduction to the government recently. “We are contemplating reducing the regularisation fee by half. We will place it at the next BDA Board meeting to finalise it. Following that, it would be sent to the Cabinet for consent,” the source told TNIE. The deadline to complete regularisation process would also be extended by three years.
A senior BDA official told TNIE, “As on date, we have received just 231 applications from house owners to regularise their properties built across our 64 layouts. A survey by EI Technologies revealed more than 20,000 houses built illegally. So the response has been very poor.”
It was on October 19, 2020, that the State issued a gazette notification, amending the Bangalore Development Authority Act, 1976. A new section 38D was introduced, and the Act termed BDA (Amendment) Act, 2020.
FEE FIXED IN 2020
Under this Act, effected retrospectively from July 10, 2020, the regularisation fee levied was as follows: For 20x30sqft: 10% of guidance value; up to 30x40sqft: 25% of guidance value; up to 40x60sqft: 40% of guidance value; up to 50x80sqft: 50% of guidance value. Only buildings up to a maximum of 4000sqft would be regularised. For constructions on corner sites, the fee is double for the same dimensions.
These would apply only to concrete structures built in layouts, while temporary structures will be removed, another official said. Those built after 2008 would be demolished.
A BDA official said the high fee levied could have deterred owners from coming forward to regularise their houses. “Hence, we recommended a reduction in fee. We don’t want to go ahead and demolish built houses. A BDA issued khata and sale deed will help them if they want to get a loan or sell their property in future,” the official explained.