Cash-strapped government to push for Akrama-Sakrama

Desperate to raise revenues, the BJP government has decided to push for the regularisation of more than 35 lakh unauthorised buildings in Karnataka, including those in Bengaluru, under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa said on Friday that the government will convince the Supreme Court, which has put the scheme on hold, of the need to implement it.

Measures will be taken to ensure that only the poor and the middle-class benefit from the scheme and not real estate developers, the government said.

Yediyurappa chaired a meeting to review the scheme, which is being seen as a move to generate revenue for the fiscally-stressed government.

The Akrama-Sakrama scheme to regularise property violations gained momentum in 2007.

The previous Siddaramaiah-led Congress government was about to implement it when the Supreme Court stayed it in 2017.

The scheme proposed to regularise commercial establishments and residential buildings with violations up to 25% and 50% of building by-laws pertaining to setback and floor area, respectively.

It was applicable to all layouts and buildings in Karnataka that came up before October 19, 2013. This was estimated to fetch Rs 10,000-15,000 crore.

The Namma Bengaluru Foundation was among the key petitioners who challenged the scheme. BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is the founder trustee and chairman of the Foundation, attended the meeting on Friday.

According to Yediyurappa, there are 2.93 illegal constructions in Bengaluru and, as per an old survey, 35 lakh across the state. This number might have doubled, apparently.

The law permits levying a penalty of 6% of the market value of buildings with violations up to 50% and up to 25% if the violation is more.

Guidelines for regularisation will be re-framed by the Urban Development Department in a week's time, the CM said. "The government has provided basic facilities to many unauthorised layouts and buildings, but they are not generating any revenue. Therefore, we will regularise the same," he said.

Revenue Minister R Ashoka told reporters that an affidavit will be filed by the state government in the Supreme Court, which would draw the case towards closure.

"Primarily, poor and middle-class families will be the beneficiaries of the regularisation scheme as most of the unauthorised buildings on revenue sites belong to them," Ashoka said. The revenue generated will help both the state government and local bodies.

"Though many governments have tried to implement the scheme in the past, it has been unsuccessful," he pointed out.