Netas and Babus corner prime BDA sites

Netas and Babus corner prime BDA sites
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Five-hundred ninety eight BDA plots in the prime locations of Bangalore have been palmed off by the State Government by way of allotments under discretionary quota in the last nine years. These sites are not in the newly developed BDA layouts, but in old layouts with some vacant plots.

The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) makes the allotment of what is called “stray” sites under orders from the Chief Minister.

The CM’s order relies not on the BDA Act or a set of rules cleared by the Legislature. But a government notification categorising the allotments as made under “G” category.

The damage to BDA’s coffers from these allotments runs into thousands of crores because the price of allotment is not according to the prevailing market rates, but at BDA rates prescribed for new layouts plus 10 per cent extra.

There are many who took the sites under discretionary quota, and became millionaires overnight by selling them at market rates.

The justification when the “G” category was made in the mid-1990s was that the CM must have powers to sanction BDA sites to people the government considers eminent.

In the years that followed, the allotment process assumed the colours of a scandal that even the Kumara Krupa guest house car-driver was recognised as ‘eminent’ and given a plot in a prime area.

It later turned out that anyone with some clout with the CM or officials in CM’s office could get a “G” category site, and instantly become eminent.

The elite HSR layout has so many “G” category sites that someone has seriously suggested that it be renamed as “G” category layout.