Now, police dept keen to buy BDA's unsold flats

The Bengaluru police are holding a series of talks with Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to purchase 2,000 flats across the city to provide housing to its personnel.

The offer comes at a time when the BDA is struggling to sell its flats, even after introducing the "across the table" sale format. This bulk sale will help BDA dispose of all its flats pending since 2015 at one go.

The police department has shown interest in buying two-bedroom, hall, kitchen (2BHK) flats. Heads of the police department have inspected all the flats which the BDA is offering. BDA showed the police department 1,000 2BHK flats in Kanminike of 600 sqft, 300 2BHK flats in Doddabanahalli of 600 sqft and 700 2BHK in Kommaghatta of 800 sqft. The two departments have been holding talks for the last 20 days, but nothing has yet been finalised.

A senior police officer said: “Though the flats were suitable, it is taking time to finalise them because of the cost factor. Since flats would be purchased in bulk, there is a need for some special financial arrangements. It is now being discussed with the government.”

BDA has quoted the same rate to the police department that it had offered to the general public. The authority quoted Rs 25 lakh each for Kanminike and Doddabanahalli flats and Rs 80 lakh for the Kommaghatta flats.

BDA had started the "across the table" flats sale in 2017 with 2,700 flats on offer. Later, 600 more were added to the list. However, so far, the BDA has been able to sell only 1,300 flats. Now, the BDA has 2,000 flats in hand with no takers.

“Since the response has been poor, this bulk sale will only boost the BDA. We have put many projects on hold because of a lull in the market. We are not keen to reduce the flat rates as there is no profit margin for us and no GST is also being levied,” said a senior BDA official.

The police department is pressing for a quick purchase under the Police Gruha Scheme- 2020. Besides their own project of constructing flats, the project under the Police Group Housing Scheme will take at least two more years to be completed. BDA’s 2,000 flats are ready to occupy, the BDA official added.