K'taka cabinet approves ordinance to regularize illegal BDA properties

Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet on Thursday, May 15 approved an ordinance aimed at regularizing an estimated 75,000 unauthorized properties on the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) land, by levying a penalty.

“According to an estimate, these unauthorized properties are located on about 6000 acres of BDA land,” Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said.

Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting here, he said, “The problem before the government is- practically it is very difficult to evict them. It has been continuing for long without any revenue. So based on the subcommittee recommendation, it has been decided to regularize them.”

“These buildings are those that have been constructed on lands, which the BDA has not taken possession yet,” he said, adding that “vacant sites are not being regularised to whatever extent it may be and only those houses which are more than 12 years will be regularised.

Madhuswamy said, “While properties on 20×30 sites will have to pay 10 percent of the guidance value as the penalty for regularisation, 30×40 will have to pay 20 percent, and it is 40 percent of guidance value for 40×60 and 50×80 sites.

“About 45,000 of these unauthorized properties were either 20×30 or 30×40 sites,” he said.

Noting that sites exceeding 50×80 will not be regularised, the Minister said for others who do not fall under the criteria of less than 12 years, BDA will have to take action within two years for evicting and taking possession of the property.

“Revenue generated by this move cannot be estimated now itself, due to varying guidance value,” he added.