Bangalore Development Authority order to put an end to duplicate site allotment records

In a bold move, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has decided to stop issuing correct dimensions (CDs) of sites — to allottees or land losers — in the manual form, which had opened a floodgate of duplicate records.

The power to issue CDs of sites has also been taken away from executive engineers and handed over to a three-member committee.

These two directives were issued by BDA Commissioner G Kumar Naik while reviewing the progress of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. The directive states that the committee will only consider electronic CDs.

A CD is a crucial document with detailed boundary markings of a site along with the site number.

The move is expected to streamline the process of site allotments both in the newly-developed layouts and older layouts.

The decision has already rattled brokers who outnumber ordinary visitors to the BDA office. The middlemen thrive in the BDA as they broker a developed site in a prime locality for land losers who part with their land for the formation of a layout.

Besides cash, the BDA provides around 9,000 square feet of developed site in exchange for acquiring one acre of undeveloped land for the formation of a layout. As per the rule book, the land loser is eligible for a developed site in the same locality which he or she originally owned. Officials have, however, been allotting developed sites in a different locality, which has been having a damaging effect on the entire land acquisition process.

Sources said some brokers have been reaching out to ministers in order to get the BDA's order withdrawn.

Speaking to DH, Kumar Naik said the BDA is trying to implement its 2020 order. "Electronic CDs have been mandatory since the last two years. It was not being used. We are only activating some of the good initiatives taken up in the past," he said.

Surya Kiran, one of the allottees in Kempegowda Layout, hoped the recent directives will provide rightful compensation to land losers. "We have heard that owners of around 700 acres of land are yet to be fully compensated. This has been stopping civil works in some blocks. These new directives are welcome," he said.