BDA fires lawyer over RERA row, vows to continue under regulator’s ambit

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Development Authority has sacked the advocate who drafted a request to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) to exclude the BDA from its purview. 

On September 3, DH reported on the BDA’s request. Well-placed sources, however, said the request was made by an advocate without consulting the BDA board.

The advocate was not authorised to respond without the consent of the authorities and the response did not reflect the BDA’s stance, the sources added. 

According to the sources, the BDA now wants to steer clear of the issue and is planning to write to the state government expressing its willingness to abide by the RERA Act. 

The BDA, in a written response to a petition over delays in developing Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, had argued that it was a statutory body and its projects were government-mandated town planning schemes that were not profit-driven. 

The response further noted that RERA provisions were framed for private builders, whereas the BDA functioned under statutory obligations.

Stating that it couldn’t be considered a promoter or developer, the BDA had requested for an exclusion from the RERA jurisdiction. 

Following the response, activists and site allottees had expressed concerns that the BDA's exclusion from RERA jurisdiction would erode accountability for the latter's housing projects.