Website launched to help allottees

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, DEC. 20 The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) allotted 10,000 sites this year, keeping its promise made during the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) meeting, the BDA Commissioner, Mr. Jayakar Jerome, said here on Wednesday.

Announcing the official launch of the BDA website, http:\\www.indiawatch.org.in\bda, he told presspersons that the organisation had fulfilled the promise made by the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, during the Governor's address to the joint session of the legislature that the authority would allot so many sites by December 31. As many as 5,039 of them were allotted to those belonging to the backward classes and the Scheduled Castes.

The BDA did not allot sites from 1990 to 1993 and from 1995 to 1998. In 1994, 2,100 sites were allotted. Last year, the number was 1,300.

It received 10,435 applications for allotment of 2,500 sites in April and 20,000 applications for 2,000 sites in November this year. The increasing number of applicants showed the growing credibility of the BDA, he said.

Earlier, it took two to three years for allotting sites, but the procedures had been streamlined to do so in two months. Similarly, the BDA had simplified the procedure for returning the deposits of applicants, who could not be allotted sites. The cheques for the amounts would be sent to their homes after the announcement of the final list of allottees.

Mr. Jerome said the BDA had amended the rule regarding the lease- cum-sale agreement entered between it and the allottees for the issuance of absolute sale deeds. The provision regarding levy of penalty for not constructing houses even three years after the allotment of sites had also been amended.

Sites were allotted on the basis of the attempts made. If the applicants died, their next of kin had to apply afresh for the allotments. This rule had been amended to help the latter obtain sites. These were done to make the BDA ``people-friendly", he added.

This year, the BDA allotted 2,000 sites for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The applications were called in 1988. The sites allotted during the year did not belong to newly-notified areas, but were developed on lands either acquired or notified.

The acquisition of 500 acres of land in Anjanapura was in the final stages, and the preliminary notification for the acquisition of 2,138 acres of land in Banashankari 6th Stage had been issued. As many as 350 acres of land in Sadaramangala near Whitefield had been acquired. The sites in these three layouts were ``litigation-free'', he said.

The website was launched to bring in transparency in the allotment of sites. The site would give details about the allotment of sites and information regarding the BDA. The applicants should enter their application numbers in the website to get the details regarding allotment. This year, the BDA computerised the procedures for allotments.

Mr. Jerome said the sale deed samaveshas had helped many people obtain the deeds. The BDA would organise area-wise samaveshas next year. While it used to distribute 300 absolute sale deeds a month, 872 deeds were distributed during the three-day samavesha recently.

The BDA would transfer 25 layouts to the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) and 26 to the city municipal councils (CMCs) soon. Joint inspections by the BMP and BDA officials had been undertaken to expedite the transfer of these areas.

He said the BDA would continue the drive to evict encroachers and demolish illegal structures. No political pressure had been there against the demolitions, but the BDA officials had been receiving threats from land-grabbers and cases had been filed against the organisation.

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