In a big relief to lakhs of families, the State Cabinet on Wednesday approved regularisation of houses built on 30x40 sq.ft sites in urban areas.
This is applicable to sites located within 18 km of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits and within 10 km of the Belagavi, Kalaburagi, Hubballi-Dharwad, Mangaluru, and Mysuru city corporation limits. It is also applicable to dwellings within a radius of 5 km, 10 km and 3 km of all city municipalities, town municipal councils and town panchayats, respectively.
Briefing reporters on the decisions taken at the Cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra said the physically-challenged, people from Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, and ex-servicemen were eligible to regularise their sites by paying a penalty of ₹5,000. Those from General category will need to pay ₹10,000 for 30x30 sites, he said.
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The State legislature had passed the Karnataka Revenue (Second Amendment) Bill, 2017 to amend section 94CC of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 for regularisation of houses built on 30x40 feet sites.
Outsourcing work
Meanwhile, the authorities have decided to outsource construction of four lakh houses to a private agency this year. This is owing to staff shortage in the Housing Department. The agency will be hired for the next three years, Mr. Jayachandra said.
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The Cabinet also approved new cadre and recruitment rules for high school teachers till 2020 on merit-cum-reservation basis. Teachers will be recruited directly on the basis of marks. There will be no written test or interview.
Tenders amounting ₹138.69 crore were approved for developing a new campus of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Shivamogga. The 600-acre campus will be developed in two years, the Minister said.
The Cabinet also approved income norms for its flagship Anna Bhagya scheme. It ratified free distribution of 7 kg of foodgrains per person, fixing the income limit at ₹1.2 lakh a year for a family for distribution of ration cards under the Below Poverty Line category.
Report accepted
The State Cabinet on Wednesday accepted a government committee report on a case related to the Supreme Court quashing of reservation for SC and ST community members in promotion in government service.
The committee, headed by an Additional Chief Secretary, was asked to compile data on the extent of backwardness among SC/ST communities and the inadequacy of their representation in various departments. The report will be used to strengthen the argument in the Supreme Court defending the reservation, said Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra on Wednesday.
The government has filed a review petition in the apex court against the order striking down the promotions awarded for employees from SC/ST communities since 1978.
Revised DRIP cost
The Cabinet also approved the revised estimated cost of ₹581 crore for the World Bank-aided Dam Rehabilitation and Improvement Project (DRIP). The earlier estimate was ₹276 crore.
Under the project, repair and rehabilitation work to improve dam safety is being undertaken. The dams that will be strengthened are Krishnaraja Sagar, Narayanapura, Almatti, Hidkal, Malaprabha, Karanja, Amarja, Lower Mullamari, Bhadra, Tungabhadra, Hemavathy, Hagaribommanahalli, Upper Mullamari, Lower Mullamari, Hattikuni, Vanivilas Sagar, Harangi and Kabini.