Senior BJP leader and Rajajinagar MLA S Suresh Kumar
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader and Rajajinagar MLA S Suresh Kumar has written to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), opposing the Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) plea to exclude itself from RERA’s jurisdiction.
Kumar argued that as a government body still selling sites and flats, the BDA cannot claim exemption from the Act.
"Before demanding exemption from the RERA Act, the BDA must look at the national scene: the GoI-owned BSNL is regulated by TRAI; and PSU insurance companies such as United, Oriental and New India Assurance are governed under IRDAI regulations. The BDA cannot be an exception to this rule,” he wrote.
Kumar further said that the BDA had failed to provide infrastructure for many of its projects, earning a "bad" reputation.
Responding to the BDA’s claim of offering sites at reduced prices, Kumar countered that the prices were no lower than those charged by private developers.
"I agree that the BDA is not a profit-making body, but the price at which it sells its sites and flats is at a par with or higher than that of private developers. The BDA cannot call its offerings 'affordable housing' anymore. To add insult to injury, the BDA's execution speed is far below that of some of the reputed private companies,” his letter stated.
He added that the BDA should introspect before seeking exemption from RERA.
Meanwhile, BDA sources told DH that the plea for exemption had been drafted by an unauthorised advocate and that the Authority wished to remain under RERA.