<p>Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority has urged the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to exclude the BDA from its jurisdiction, arguing it is a statutory body and not a real estate promoter.</p>.<p>In a written response to a petition over delays in developing the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, the BDA maintained that its projects are government-mandated town planning schemes, not profit-driven ventures.</p>.<p>"Schemes under the BDA Act are aimed at regulated urban growth by forming residential layouts and offering them to the public at affordable prices,” the Authority said.</p>.<p>The BDA contended that RERA provisions are framed for private builders, whereas it functions under statutory obligations. It noted that sites are allotted at concessional rates, including for the economically weaker sections, unlike private developers who operate purely for profit.</p>.BDA to e-auction 122 sites; fails to give location details.<p>A clear distinction, it argued, must be drawn between private builders executing smaller projects and the BDA, which undertakes large-scale works. "Hence, RERA provisions cannot apply to the BDA in a straitjacket manner,” its submission stated.</p>.<p>The Authority also asserted that disputes fall strictly under the BDA Act and the BDA (Allotment of Site) Rules, 1984. "Acceptance of allotment implies consent to these rules. Any grievance must be adjudicated under BDA terms, not RERA,” it said.</p>.<p><strong>Accountability questioned</strong></p>.<p>Allottees and activists, however, warned that excluding the BDA would erode accountability.</p>.<p>“Projects are delayed for years. Currently, the BDA can be questioned at RERA. If exempted, there will be no check,” said MS Shankar, General Secretary, Forum for People’s Collective Efforts (formerly ‘Fight for RERA’).</p>.<p>Shankar recalled that this was not the Authority’s first attempt to bypass RERA. “Earlier, the BDA had appealed to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, but the request was rejected. RERA is a central legislation and overrides state laws,” he said.</p>.<p>Activists insist that keeping the BDA under RERA ensures transparency and legal recourse for homebuyers. They fear that removing it would leave allottees with limited remedies and allow the Authority to evade responsibility for project delays.</p>.<p>The case before RERA is expected to determine whether the BDA, as a statutory planning body, qualifies as a “promoter” under the Act — a verdict that could set a precedent for government development agencies across Karnataka.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority has urged the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to exclude the BDA from its jurisdiction, arguing it is a statutory body and not a real estate promoter.</p>.<p>In a written response to a petition over delays in developing the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, the BDA maintained that its projects are government-mandated town planning schemes, not profit-driven ventures.</p>.<p>"Schemes under the BDA Act are aimed at regulated urban growth by forming residential layouts and offering them to the public at affordable prices,” the Authority said.</p>.<p>The BDA contended that RERA provisions are framed for private builders, whereas it functions under statutory obligations. It noted that sites are allotted at concessional rates, including for the economically weaker sections, unlike private developers who operate purely for profit.</p>.BDA to e-auction 122 sites; fails to give location details.<p>A clear distinction, it argued, must be drawn between private builders executing smaller projects and the BDA, which undertakes large-scale works. "Hence, RERA provisions cannot apply to the BDA in a straitjacket manner,” its submission stated.</p>.<p>The Authority also asserted that disputes fall strictly under the BDA Act and the BDA (Allotment of Site) Rules, 1984. "Acceptance of allotment implies consent to these rules. Any grievance must be adjudicated under BDA terms, not RERA,” it said.</p>.<p><strong>Accountability questioned</strong></p>.<p>Allottees and activists, however, warned that excluding the BDA would erode accountability.</p>.<p>“Projects are delayed for years. Currently, the BDA can be questioned at RERA. If exempted, there will be no check,” said MS Shankar, General Secretary, Forum for People’s Collective Efforts (formerly ‘Fight for RERA’).</p>.<p>Shankar recalled that this was not the Authority’s first attempt to bypass RERA. “Earlier, the BDA had appealed to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, but the request was rejected. RERA is a central legislation and overrides state laws,” he said.</p>.<p>Activists insist that keeping the BDA under RERA ensures transparency and legal recourse for homebuyers. They fear that removing it would leave allottees with limited remedies and allow the Authority to evade responsibility for project delays.</p>.<p>The case before RERA is expected to determine whether the BDA, as a statutory planning body, qualifies as a “promoter” under the Act — a verdict that could set a precedent for government development agencies across Karnataka.</p>