Ground rules: Don’ts for developers

Ground rules: Don’ts for developers
Cannot Sell Residential Sites Until Layout Work Is Completed
The Times of India

Bangalore: The government has come out with ‘shoot at site’ orders: Developers cannot advertise or sell sites until the entire layout formation work, including provision of civic amenities, is completed.

The guidelines issued on May 9 stipulate: “The government has been issuing guidelines about layout formation. But developers have not been complying with the rules and local planning bodies are sanctioning layouts despite violations. The haphazard growth is causing financial burden on civic bodies and creating problems for the buyers.’’

The government order also warns officers heading the planning bodies: they will be held responsible for haphazard growth, pulled up for violations and will have to face disciplinary action.

Urban development department officials told The Times of India: “Now, the developer advertises his project without required sanctions promising fancy amenities. He collects money, develops sites, does not create civic amenities or make provision for open spaces and disappears from the scene.’’

Then follows problems: Approaching civic bodies for amenities and the bureaucratic rigmarole.
The government has told authorities to release the layout plan only after the sites are formed, amenities like roads, water supply, drainage, power connections are provided and open spaces, and civic amenity sites are relinquished to the authorities.

“Only 60% of the sites should be sold. The rest must be open spaces, parks and civic amenity sites. Corner sites must be auctioned with government approval only after selling all the sites,’’ officials said.

Similar guidelines have been issued to CMCs and TMCs. While they don’t have powers to sanction layout plans, they are empowered to issue khatas only after the layout is formed with the infrastructure.