Business gone, realty sector wakes up to reality!

The BBMP’s demolition drive has ground the real estate sector to dust. The sub-registrar’s offices in the city, which were a beehive of activity till the other day, are deserted, as scared property buyers are taking a long time to verify the documents. Concerned with the public distrust, builders are begging the government to address the issue seriously and urgently.

If the ongoing demolitions of properties encroaching on drains and lakes has revealed anything it is that an "A khata" is not the seal of ownership that many thought it was. To the dismay of Bengalureans cheated by unscrupulous builders and government officers, their A khatas have proved of little help in preventing their homes from being either partially or fully razed  by the BBMP's bulldozers. Alerted to the fraudsters in the building industry Bengalureans are now reportedly going slow in buying properties, hitting  the real estate sector, which is now receiving a lukewarm response. Many are also now double checking on issues like drains and the buffer zones around lakes insisted upon recently by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) before venturing to buy properties, according to industry sources.

Concerned by the growing public distrust, Mr Farooq Mohammad, world president elect of FIABCI, says the issue of  'A' khatas  needs to be addressed seriously and urgently by the government. "The government must look into this and find a solution instead of bulldozing  structures  and mocking at its own sanctions," he contended, adding,  "If the government is going by a 100-year-old map, does this mean people have been cheated for that long? As far as the major builders are concerned, the issue is non-existent as they  take care to avoid such hassles with the help of legal experts when buying the land for development."

Mr Suresh Hari, secretary, Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) also believes the government must find a practical solution to the encroachments rather than inconveniencing people to the extent they have been.” Instead of going back to century old maps, the state must use  satellite maps as the base. This  encompasses the live and active lakes, drains, buffer zone and catchment areas. There is no point in having drains that are going nowhere or serving no purpose," he argued. Claiming that all builders  complied with the regulation on a buffer zone around lakes and the Revised Master Plan (RMP) when obtaining approvals for their projects, he argues that having a bigger buffer zone  now does not make sense. "The state government should challenge this order of the NGT in the larger public interest. The bigger buffer zone is coming in the way of completed projects  going in for renovation or redevelopment. This is a  major blow to the real estate sector," Mr. Hari maintained.

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Senior surveyors are likely to begin survey of the buildings encroaching on  Storm Water Drains from August 29. About 60 senior surveyor, who have been transferred to different districts across the state, are returning to do the job. They are likely to survey malls, apartments  and major structures.

BBMP Chief Engineer (SWD), Siddegowda said demolitions would resume in Bommanahalli area on Thursday. "Property owners in Dasarahalli zone are demolishing the encroached portions themselves. In Mahadevapura, the markings are being made," he added.

The survey report, which will decide the fate of the houses of Sandalwood star, Darshan and former minister, Shamanur Shivashankarappa, will be ready by Thursday evening, according to BBMP officials.

Transferred surveyors to be brought back
BBMP commissioner, N. Manjunath Prasad said on Tuesday that  over 60 senior transferred survey officials would be brought back to carry out the survey of encroaching properties and clear the confusion among  BBMP officials and the public.

Going by BBMP Chief Engineer (SWD), Siddegowda, the resurvey could begin on August 29. Revealing that letters had been sent to the Principal Secretary of the revenue department to make arrangements to bring back the 60 transferred surveyors to carry out the resurvey, he said, “Authenticating the previous survey done by revenue department surveyors will help gain the confidence of the public. They will come here on deputation for about 15 days to a month. Their personal lives will not be affected as they will be needed here only be for a short period. There is an emergency here. After the completion of the resurvey they can head back to their original postings.”

Joint Director of Land Records, Bangalore Urban District, K Jayaprakash said as the same officers had marked the boundaries earlier, it would not take much time for them to carry out the resurvey.

Meanwhile, a senior surveyor, who was part of the joint survey of the Storm Water Drain (SWD) network,  said he had already reported to the new office and was attending a series of meetings to understand the procedure and his responsibilities. Shifting back to Bengaluru, even temporarily, would take a toll on the family, he contended. “Since it's an order from the seniors and the government we will honour it. But we need some time to report back to duty back in Bengaluru and the department must be considerate,” he added.