Both Houses okay Sakrama Bill

The Karnataka Town and Country Planning and Certain Other Laws (Amendment) Bill 2009 popularly known as the Sakrama Bill provides for regularisation of illegal constructions and unauthorised sites and layouts that have come up till December 3, last year.

The Bill was passed by a voice-vote in both the Houses amid slogan-shouting and dharna by the Opposition members.

The Government had tried to implement the Sakrama scheme through the ordinance route earlier this year, but was returned by the Governor H R Bhardwaj. With both Houses of Legislature passing the Sakrama Bill, the Government will send it to Raj Bhavan for  Governor’s assent.

Once the legislation is gazetted, scheme will provide a one-time opportunity to an estimated seven lakh building/site by-law violators in Bangalore alone, besides, five lakh violators in other urban pockets across the State to regularise their properties. The scheme will be in force for one year from the date of gazette notification.

The Government is planning to mobilise Rs 10,000 crore through the regularisation scheme. According to provisions of the Sakrama scheme, the penalty for violations of building laws and unauthorised structures on revenue sites would range between Rs 5,000 (for minor violations) and Rs 2.10 lakh.

The penalties, for residential properties range between six to eight per cent of the guidance value and for commercial properties - 20 to 35 per cent. However, there is a cap for maximum violation. For residential properties that maximum violation that can be regularised is 50 per cent, while the cap for maximum violation that can be regularised for commercial properties is 25 per cent.

Maximum penalty

The maximum penalty for the owner of a building on an unauthorised residential site measuring 20 X 30 feet will be Rs 45,000 (zone A) and Rs 30,000 for Zone B. For a owner of building on 30 X 40 feet unauthorised site, the maximum penalty will be Rs 90,000 (zone A) and Rs 60,000 (for zone B). For a owner of a building on site measuring 40 X 60 feet, the maximum penalty will be Rs 2.1 lakh (for zone A) and Rs 1.8 lakh (for zone B). The zones are classified by jurisdictional urban bodies based on the property value.

ITIR Bill

The Cabinet also passed the Karnataka Information Technology Investment Regions Bill - 2010, that provides for setting up the 10,000 acres ITIR in and around Devanhalli.

The provisions of the Bill among other provides for the process to be adopted for land acquisition for ITIR, infrastructure facilities to be provided by the state government, constitution and functions of the management board headed by the IT and BT minister, which will be responsible for development and management of ITIR.

Following are the main provisions of the other bills passed by the two Houses of Legislature on Thursday.

The Karnataka Irrigation and Certain Other Law (Amendment) Bill, 2010

- Provides for supply of water in bulk on volumetric basis by Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited to the Water Users Co-operative Societies

- Provides Cauvery Neeravari Nigam Limited to levy and collect water rates for water supplied or made available from an irrigation network to any area.

Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Bill, 2010

- Provides for mortgaging of agricultural land for raising education loans for higher education of children of owners.

Karnataka Rent (Amendment) Bill, 2010

- Divorced wife of tenant will have the right of residence in matrimonial home or rented premises

Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (Amendment) Bill, 2010

-  Provides BWSSB to levy and collect beneficiary capital contribution through local bodies towards water supply and sanitation projects.