In a controversial move, BBMP Commissioner has issued a circular making owners of individual flats liable for any due in betterment charges, and has absolved builders of liability if they have sold all the flats.
BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayan in the circular has said: “In certain cases, owners of properties have paid improvement charges in part. They have submitted an undertaking that they will pay the improvement charges as prescribed by the BBMP at the time of khatha registration. But on verification, in most of the cases, the improvement charges are still due.”
He further goes onto to say: “It is learnt that the owner of such properties are developers, who have constructed buildings, whether it is commercial, residential or apartments; and have sold the individual properties to the public. In such cases, the purchasers of such properties are liable to pay the improvement charges.”
‘BBMP also responsible’Urban expert Ashwin Mahesh, said that more than the flat owners, BBMP officials are responsible for the anomaly. “If charges were due, how come officials have issued a No Objection Certificate and Occupancy Certificate? The officials concerned should be held accountable,” he said.
Incidentally, a BBMP councillor recently alleged that there was a huge scam in the Town Planning Division of BBMP and bogus occupancy certificates were issued.
