Karnataka allows regularisation of building violations for a year

New scheme expected to yield revenue in excess of Rs 5,000 cr to BBMP

Karnataka government today announced its decision to implement the "Akrama-Sakrama" scheme for regularisation of unauthorised constructions across the state, including Bengaluru, from March 23. This is expected to generate a revenues in excess of Rs 5,000 crore to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP).

"The scheme is being introduced for a limited period of one year, till March 22, 2016. It is expected to benefit thousands of house owners and commercial buildings to regularise their constructions if no one challenges it in the court of law again," said minister for urban development Vinay Kumar Sorake.

Briefing reporters here today, he said the scheme will enable violations pertaining to setback, floor area ratio, non-conversion of agricultural land and formation of unauthorised layouts in all 213 urban local bodies would be regularised.

He said, applications for regularisation can be submitted to the urban local bodies (ULB) concerned by paying prescribed penalty. Violations of up to 50% and 25% would be regularised in case of residential and commercial properties respectively.

All illegal buildings and layouts developed before October 19, 2013, are eligible for regularisation.

The Congress government was keen on implementing the scheme, particularly in Bengaluru, as the BBMP will go to polls in May this year and it will also earn handsome revenue to the government.

A separate fund would be set up in each ULB to park funds received under the Akrama Sakrama scheme, Sorake said.

Though the state government had issued the final notification under the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act in June last year, it was kept pending due to a stay order by the Karnataka High Court. The court recently gave the green signal to implement the scheme.

Electricity and water supply will be disconnected in case owners failed to regularise illegal residential and commercial buildings by paying penalties before March 22, 2016, under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme.

According to a handbook of the Urban Development Department, applications received after the prescribed date cannot be entertained and owners who failed to avail the opportunity would be liable to pay heavier penalties besides facing other enforcement measures, including demolition of buildings, Sorake said.

"If the constructions are more than the permissible limits, it would not be regularised unless the violations are brought down within the prescribed limits for the respective category of buildings," he said.

All applicants have to self-declare violations and submit them along with the fee subject to payment of shortfall if intimated by competent authority. The process of application would commence after the closure of the last date for filling the application. A special set of officers would assist ULBs in processing the application. If the application is in order and the violations are within the permissible limits, then an order for regularisation would be passed and a certificate would be issued, he said.

All penalties and fees paid by applicants would be utilised for development of physical infrastructure and creation of parks and open spaces in urban local bodies (ULBs). All penalties would be credited to a separate fund kept in ULBs and it is called Urban Areas Infrastructure Development Fund, Sorake added.

Guidance value prevailed on October 19, 2013, would be considered for paying penalties.