66,500 houses in 68 BDA layouts may be regularised

Residents will have shelters of their own, govt gets revenue: CM

The State government plans to regularise over 66,500 unauthorised houses across 68 BDA layouts. The land is estimated to be worth around Rs 6,000 crore and is spread across 3,599 acr

es.

Speaking during his City rounds, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the regularisation is a win-win situation. Siddaramaiah said, “With a number of residents approaching courts, seeking that the land be regularised, demolishing these houses becomes a humanitarian issue. However, if we regularise these, we get revenue and the residents are happy,” he said.

Bangalore Development Authority Commissioner Sham Bhat said that in many cases, the original owners of the land themselves have encroached, by extending the boundaries of their land.

“BDA is not in a position to remove them as the matter is pending in court. With some of them requesting that the title deeds be given to them and that they will pay  development charges, it is a beneficial arrangement for both parties,” he said.
“We will consult our legal experts and take a decision,” the chief minister said.
“Residents may have to pay a penalty along with a fee for the land,” Bhat said.

Lalbagh visit

In Lalbagh, proposals for a clock tower, a photo gallery have been pending for long, owing to paucity of funds. The Horticulture department brought to the chief minister's notice that despite various proposals to beautify Lalbagh, it had remained only on paper. According to officials, Lalbagh’s main source of income is the entry fee - Rs 10. This works out to Rs 2.5 crore annually. “Most of this goes to the maintenance of the park. If we are to actually put the proposals in place, we need funds,” officials with the Horticulture department told the chief minister.

One of the suggestions was increasing the entry fee to Rs 20. The Chief Minister said that a decision will be taken after serious consideration. The lake area will now be considered for the clock tower. For many of the walkers, however, the problems at Lalbagh were more environment related. Irked by the continued use of plastic, despite a ban, some walkers asked the chief minister to ensure proper implementation of the ban and to ensure that private vehicles don’t enter the park.

Vehicles halted

Visitors to Lalbagh were left stranded or forced to walk as the chief minister, his officials and media persons used five of the seven battery-operated vehicles to tour the garden. Visitors could not use even the other two as it would have posed a security risk.

Siddaramaiah, Chief Minister : With a number of residents approaching courts, seeking that the land be regularised, demolishing these houses becomes a humanitarian issue. If we regularise these, we get revenue and the residents are happy.