Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah throws a lifeline to 67k unauthorised plots in BDA layouts

BENGALURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday announced that his government was keen to regularise the 66,500 "unauthorised plots" in BDA layouts by levying a fee.
His statement will bring cheers to a large number of Bengalureans, who have been hoping for a solution for several years now.

The opposition BJP hailed the CM's announcement although it said "it is coming on the eve of BBMP polls."

After his city rounds, the CM told reporters that unauthorised buildings had come up on 3,699 acres of land, notified by the BDA, over a period of time. "If we calculate at the rate of 18 plots per acre, we are looking at 66,500 plots that are unauthorised," he said.

The "unauthorised plots" are housed in 68 layouts, including Koramangala Layout, HSR Layout, Pillanna Garden 2nd Stage, BTM 4th-5th Stages, JP Nagar 7th phase, Banashankari 2nd-5th Stages and so on. "These plots were occupied 25-30 years ago. We cannot demolish homes and evict those people. We are taking legal opinion and thinking of regularising this," he said.

Records showed that the BDA had acquired 17,649 acres of land, of which sites were formed on 12,500 acres. Of the remaining 5,149 acres, gardens and other institutions oc cupy 1,450 acres, while BDA treated 3,699 acres of built-up area as unauthorised. When quizzed why the BDA did not act, the CM said it was possibly because the "BDA was sleeping that this happened."

BJP leader S Suresh Kumar, who is a member of the Petition Committee, said the committee was in favour of regularisation. "They are not illegal squatters. They are living there for a long time, have BBMP khatas, and been paying property taxes. They did not surren der their plots and move out after the BDA notified their plots. This is a genuine humanitarian crisis awaiting solution," he said.

The government is keen to regularise these plots as some owners have moved court. There is a provision under the BDA Act to reconvey (regularise with a fine) the unauthorised plots occupied between 1973 to 1986.

"Going by existing guidance values, these sites are worth about `6,000 crore," BDA Commissioner T Sham Bhatt said.