BDA issues notices to 70 civic amenity site holders

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has started the process of recovering its civic amenity (CA) sites whose lease agreements has lapsed.

The first step in this direction has been taken by slapping notices to lease-holders asking them to renew their lease agreements immediately. So far, the BDA has slapped notices to 70 CA site lease-holders (a copy of which is with DH).

In the notice, the BDA has asked the lease-holders to pay the amount at the earliest failing which the BDA will initiate the process of recovering the sites in keeping with the BDA rules.

The list of lease-holders whose licences have lapsed includes 25 government institutions like eight police stations, three belonging to the Department of Public Libraries, two each with the postal department, telephone exchange and Bengaluru University. The list also includes private institutions like 15 educational institutions, 12 religious establishments, private offices, choultries, nursing homes and hospitals and parks. The list also includes petrol bunks. These lease agreements were issued from 1962 to 1995. The sites of varied dimensions were allotted across the city.

“We have been repeatedly serving notices to CA site holders to renew their lease agreement, but the response has been poor. According to BDA rules, if the lease tenure lapses, then the BDA is entitled to recover the sites. So far, we have not recovered any
sites, but now we have decided to do so,” a senior BDA official said.

Lease format revised

BDA allots sites under the Allotment Rules of CA Sites of 1989, which has a provision to recover sites where the lease agreement has lapsed. To generate earnings, the BDA had revised the lease format from 99 years to 30 years. But now, this has also become a challenge before the BDA and the state government.

“Rules state that we can recover the sites after slapping three notices. But under political pressure and as a social obligation, we have been unable to do so. Many lease-holders assert that the renewal cost is too high,” the official said.

The BDA, in 2016, had revised the renewal cost from 2011. The renewal rates were hiked by Rs 400-Rs 1,000 for different sectors, along with guidance value ranging from 2%-10% per square metre.

Beneficiaries of CA sites 12- Religious institutions 8- police stations 15- Educational institutions 3- libraries 5- medical institutions 15 – Trusts, choultries, associations and committees