<p>Bengaluru: In a significant move, the Karnataka government has proposed to levy a 5 per cent charge on the guidance value of 'single plots' to fund new neighbourhood parks in Bengaluru. </p>.<p>It has also proposed that large plots reserve 15% of their total area, aiming to boost the city’s green cover. </p>.<p>The proposals — part of the draft notification published in the official gazette on May 28 — will be applicable within the jurisdictions of both the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). </p>.<p>Until now, many single plots were developed under the ‘B’ khata system, bypassing land reservation requirements. The new notification seeks to plug this legal loophole. The rule does not apply to sites which have been formed in layouts either approved or developed by the BDA. </p>.<p>According to the proposal, a charge amounting to 5% of the guidance value will be levied on single plots measuring between 55 sqm and 2,000 sqm. For larger plots — those between 2,000 sqm and 10,000 sqm — property owners will be required to reserve 15 per cent of the total area for the creation of parks. </p>.<p>Both developers and landowners are unlikely to be happy with the notification, as the 15% land reservation requirement was previously applicable only to plots exceeding five acres. It is also not sure whether the proposed 5% charge on the guidance value will be considered reasonable or fall within an acceptable range for property owners. </p>.<p>City planners believe the move will help address the shortage of open spaces, particularly in rapidly developing zones such as KR Puram, Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli and Bommanahalli, where numerous revenue pockets have seen unregulated growth. </p>.<p>The notification has noted that the charges, collected in lieu of land relinquishment, will be deposited into a separate escrow account and used exclusively for acquiring and developing land earmarked as park space under the city’s master plan. </p>.<p>"This rule applies only to properties — residential and non-residential — that are seeking fresh plan sanctions," a BBMP official said. "It does not apply to existing buildings or to properties that have already received development plan approvals." </p>.<p>A retired official in the Town Planning Department said that the 15% reservation could face pushback in the Central Business District (CBD) due to scarcity of land. </p>.<p>However, Suhas Ananth Rajkumar, a member of a citizen group, said that the regulation was a long overdue measure to improve livability in the city’s outskirts, where planned layouts are hard to find. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: In a significant move, the Karnataka government has proposed to levy a 5 per cent charge on the guidance value of 'single plots' to fund new neighbourhood parks in Bengaluru. </p>.<p>It has also proposed that large plots reserve 15% of their total area, aiming to boost the city’s green cover. </p>.<p>The proposals — part of the draft notification published in the official gazette on May 28 — will be applicable within the jurisdictions of both the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA). </p>.<p>Until now, many single plots were developed under the ‘B’ khata system, bypassing land reservation requirements. The new notification seeks to plug this legal loophole. The rule does not apply to sites which have been formed in layouts either approved or developed by the BDA. </p>.<p>According to the proposal, a charge amounting to 5% of the guidance value will be levied on single plots measuring between 55 sqm and 2,000 sqm. For larger plots — those between 2,000 sqm and 10,000 sqm — property owners will be required to reserve 15 per cent of the total area for the creation of parks. </p>.<p>Both developers and landowners are unlikely to be happy with the notification, as the 15% land reservation requirement was previously applicable only to plots exceeding five acres. It is also not sure whether the proposed 5% charge on the guidance value will be considered reasonable or fall within an acceptable range for property owners. </p>.<p>City planners believe the move will help address the shortage of open spaces, particularly in rapidly developing zones such as KR Puram, Mahadevapura, Dasarahalli and Bommanahalli, where numerous revenue pockets have seen unregulated growth. </p>.<p>The notification has noted that the charges, collected in lieu of land relinquishment, will be deposited into a separate escrow account and used exclusively for acquiring and developing land earmarked as park space under the city’s master plan. </p>.<p>"This rule applies only to properties — residential and non-residential — that are seeking fresh plan sanctions," a BBMP official said. "It does not apply to existing buildings or to properties that have already received development plan approvals." </p>.<p>A retired official in the Town Planning Department said that the 15% reservation could face pushback in the Central Business District (CBD) due to scarcity of land. </p>.<p>However, Suhas Ananth Rajkumar, a member of a citizen group, said that the regulation was a long overdue measure to improve livability in the city’s outskirts, where planned layouts are hard to find. </p>