Ever since it was formed a decade ago, Arkavathy Layout has been dogged by legal battles and political brouhaha.
For the allottees, however, the wait for their site just got more expensive.
In a circular issued in April-end, BDA announced an increase in property tax. From less than Rs. 600 per annum, it has been linked to guidance value. This, says G. Shivaprasad who heads the Arkavathy Layout Allottees Association, will see people pay nearly five times more for a plot that is currently “useless”.
Moreover, the circular laid down a penalty for ‘delay of construction’ on allottees claiming an absolute sale deed.
Nearly 5,000 persons are eligible for sale deeds as it has been 10 years since allocation. However, many got possession only in 2014. Consequently, much of the area remains vacant.
“Many of us have not even seen our sites, as they have not been demarcated,” said Manjunath Seth, who is yet to get possession of his site. “How do they expect us to build houses in the absence of approach roads and infrastructure for electricity and water supply?”
At a meeting with the BDA on Monday, allottees demanded exemption from these rules.
K.V. Jagadeesh, BDA’s Superintendent of Police, who represented the Authority, said the demand will be taken up in the next meeting of the Board scheduled on Wednesday.
Legal laxityMoreover, allottees have accused the BDA of being lax in removing the interim stay brought by a private company on the tender process for providing amenities. “The BDA was supposed to submit objections. Even after four hearings, its lawyers are yet to present the objections and get the stay vacated,” said Mr. Shivaprasad.
Officials of the legal cell assured ‘all efforts’ to ‘expedite’ the process.
The Arkavathy Saga
2005: BDA announces creation of 8,313 sites
More than 5,000 persons registered as allottees
Between 2008 and 2014, nearly 1,000 acres denotified
These denotifications led to probes
Penalties and tax
Property tax revised for vacant sites
From an arbitrarily fixed rate between Rs. 575 and Rs. 590 to being linked to guidance value
For sites lesser than 1,200 square feet, tax rate is now 0.0005 per cent of guidance value
Area greater than 1,200 square feet, tax rate will be 0.001 per cent
Penalty for allowing land to be vacant after 10 years of allocation
Site size* | Penalty (Rs) |
Less than 600 | 5,000 |
600-1,200 | 10,000 |
1,200 | 40,000 |
1,200-2,400 | 80,000 |
2,400-4,000 | 2,50,000 |
Above 4,000 | 4,00,000 |
* square feet
