Concerns rise as BBMP requests documents of land surrendered for projects

Bengaluru: The BBMP, which aims to revalidate more than 1,172 unused Development Rights Certificates (DRCs), has asked citizens to furnish six essential documents, including sale deeds, relinquishment deeds, and khata bifurcation certificates.

But the move has sparked concerns about potential inconveniences, with critics questioning the lack of trust in BBMP officers who initially issued the DRCs.

The BBMP has, on three separate occasions, notified 1,172 DRCs, covering a total area exceeding 9.43 lakh square meters, for the purpose of revalidation.

These DRCs, valued at no less than Rs 5,000 crore, are currently held by people who contributed their land for a BBMP project or by builders who acquired the certificates from landowners.

Since the DRCs remained unused for the last seven years due to a shift in the government policy, the BBMP wants to unlock them by converting the utility value on par with the guidance value of the surrendered property, moving away from the commonly misused square feet basis.

To facilitate this conversion, the civic body requires various documents, including the DRC certificate, sale deed, relinquishment deed, khata bifurcation certificate, authorisation letter, and building plan.

The BBMP believes that this thorough examination will establish the legitimacy of the DRCs and determine whether the designated roads have indeed been widened.

While realtors appreciate the BBMP's initiative, concerns have been raised about the extensive documentation requirements, with apprehensions about potential harassment and corruption.

"The mighty people will get away by paying bribes, but it is the ordinary citizens who will struggle in spite of parting with their land for a public project,” a builder told DH.

Describing the revalidation exercise as a form of "demonetisation", one officer said the civic body was not ready to acknowledge the document it issued long back.  

"If the BBMP finds the DRCs it issued in the past were incorrect, will there be any action against the officer who issued it? Or will it be used as a means to milk more money,” he wondered.

The BBMP officer in charge of the revalidation exercise did not respond to calls.