BDA seeks hefty penalties, shocks Arkavathy allottees

BENGALURU: Members of the Arkavathy Layout Allottees’ Association, who are approaching the BDA to seek the absolute sale deed, are in for a shock as the authority is seeking hefty vacant site penalties from them. With the 10-year lease coming to an end, the allottees are seeking to the absolute sale deed in exchange of lease cum sale deed that was in existence. The BDA had fixed a 10-year ceiling preventing site owners from selling their sites during the period.

A circular issued by the BDA commissioner on April 30 stated that the allottees have to pay Rs 40,000 for 30x40 sites and Rs 80,000 for 40x60 sites.

“Why should the allottees pay for the blunders committed by BDA officials and politicians? The BDA has failed to develop the layout and civic amenity sites even after 10 years of layout formation. Shouldn’t the BDA also cough up the penalty? When the BDA has been unable to provide civic amenities yet, how can allottees build their houses? Forget civic amenities, there are not even approach roads to reach many sites,” they said.

“Though the builder, IVRCL, which has been blacklisted after the collapse of a Kolkata flyover, has obtained a stay on the Arkavathy Layout tendering process, the BDA has not bothered to get the stay vacated. Why is the BDA struggling to hire competent lawyers to fight its case ,” they asked.

When the case came up for hearing on August 9, BDA's lawyer Sachin, instead of filing objections, filed a memo seeking his retirement from the case.