The next time someone is called a ‘proud owner’ of a flat in the City, be sure to ask the person what buying it entailed. That “pride” could easily refer to his endurance to overcome ordeals of legality at every step of buying a house, from registration to obtaining a khata certificate. It could also mean ensuring that the builder had taken all no objection certificates (NoCs) from the civic agencies concerned.
Approvals, if at all, are given after a long time and with a fairly good deal of bribe money. Multiple visits to the officials concerned are inevitable to get work done. The delay breaks down the applicant who then forks out speed money. If builders manage to get the NOCs by every means in the book, the flat owners end up running around for khata endlessly.
Typically residents will tell you that getting khata is their moment of relief even if other approvals have been given. Chetan Shirnali, a sales professional says he bought an apartment near Vijayanagar in 2011/12 “with my hard-earned money and a housing loan”. “We have OC (Occupancy Certificate) from BBMP, sale deed registered with the authorities, BWSSB connection etc, but we are yet to receive khata from the BBMP. It feels like I live in a hotel/serviced apartment.”
His electricity bill bears the name of the builder. “The banker I go to pointed out that I was the only one without the khata extract among those who borrowed housing loan in 2011-2012. Normal turnaround to it is less than a month under the Sakaala scheme. We have paid the amount in DD and also given the miscellaneous expenses to the builder in cash. Since DD from any bank will have limited validity (3 to 6 months), I’m wary about the delay. For me, Acche din have definitely not come from the khata standpoint.”
S Prakash, another apartment resident in Govindrajnagar, has also been waiting for khata for long. “I await khata for my house, which is delayed due to a legal crossfire between the Corporation and the builder. It is usually around violation of land space, called ‘deviation’. Ultimately, the resident is the sufferer, as, only when the certificate is handed over, it means you are the legal owner of the house. Often, apartment residents are in the dark about such happenings. Being proactive about the purchase reduces your chances of being cheated,” explains Prakash.
Many are now resigned to bribery as the only way to speed up the process. “The deep-rooted nexus between the contractors and engineers of corporations involved in granting NoCs (no objection certificate), khatas and registrations should be broken because the corruption there is thick and breeding. They are increasingly spoiling the infrastructure in Bangalore,” says Subramanya, an apartment resident of JP Nagar.
He adds, “When I went to look for an apartment house for my cousin on Kanakpura Road, I could find one that had 137% deviation from the norms! I don't understand how that is allowed without the authority's knowledge. Even for STPs (sewage treatment plants), many apartment builders have had to pay ‘service charges’ for officials at the Pollution Control Board to have it in place.”
An apartment manager, requesting anonymity, informs from his experience of looking into issues of four apartments that residents are quite gullible. “They are drawn first to the location and model of an apartment. Instead, they should verify if the apartment complex has been surveyed and authorised by BDA, and find out from the builder if there are unresolved land disputes. They could also try the RTI (Right to Information) way. These steps are vital for especially those opting for apartments not from reputed builders.”