People wake up to benefits of TDR

It seems that the stiff opposition to the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) scheme is now passé. The scheme seems to be gaining favour among residents, especially those in the outer zones.

According to sources in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the scheme has been favoured by residents of Yelahanka and Mahadevapura zones. Officials claimed that people were voluntarily opting for the TDR scheme. “We are pleasantly surprised with the gaining popularity of the scheme. We hope that the residents of the core areas also opt for it,” they said.

When the BBMP needs to take over land or constructed property, through the TDR scheme it offers the owner development rights which is one-and-a-half times the size of the acquired property. The owner can then either develop the property or sell it to a buyer at market rates.

“By opting for DRC, the land owner is getting more for his land. For example, if a person has one acre of land, he gets DRC for one-and-half acres. He can then sell his development rights for a profit,” officials said.

If an owner loses part of the property, the BBMP through the scheme, allows him to construct vertically beyond the stipulated sanctioned plan.

Officials said that the BBMP had issued over 200 Development Rights Certificates (DRC). As on September 22, the land owners had surrendered to BBMP 1.88 lakh sq m of land. The BBMP had issued DRC for 2.82 lakh sq m of land. Most number of DRCs have been issued in Yelahanka zone, followed by Mahadevapura zone, they said. The scheme was picking up steam in Dasarahalli and Rajarajeshwarinagar zones as well.

The land owners who had obtained DRC were being wooed by several builders. The land owners benefit more through transferring the development rights, officials claimed. They said that DRC was mainly issued for owners of agricultural land.

Several private builders have also come forward to buy development rights from owners. “Most projects are now coming up in the outer zones. As soon as the BBMP issues DRC, the land owner is being approached by builders,” they added.

B.S. Prahallad, Executive Engineer (Highways), Yelahanka zone, told The Hindu that the advantage of transferring development rights is that the Government is able to create public infrastructure without directly spending money on land acquisition. Another plus point is that the guidance value of the land matches the sale value. “The major advantage is that with TDR, the builders also benefit. TDR encourages rightful construction without any deviation from the sanctioned plan,” he said.