BDA approves mega housing scheme around Bangalore

BDA approves mega housing scheme around Bangalore

S. Rajendran

About 1.76 lakh house sites to be formed

Likely to be ready for allotment in six months

Bangalore: A month before it is scheduled to hand over power to its coalition partner, the H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government is launching a massive housing project through five mega housing residential layouts spread over 15,000 acres of land around Bangalore.

A meeting of the Bangalore Development Authority board held here on Monday approved the formation of five new layouts, which will envelop about 1.76 lakh house sites of various dimensions.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said that the five layouts would be developed simultaneously and the sites would be ready for allotment in about six months. “The Government estimates the requirement of house sites in Bangalore at around 2.1 lakh and I am confident that the demand of the people will be met substantially,” he told The Hindu.

Mr. Kumaraswamy said: “In line with the assurances held out by me over the past 19 months to provide housing for people in the lower strata of society, the BDA will set apart around 100 acres of land in each of these new layouts for vertical housing. About 75,000 flats, largely comprising one-bedroom apartments, will be constructed for allotment.” The price of the flats would be decided later, he said.

With elections to the municipal bodies notified earlier on Tuesday, the Government has decided to make a low-key pronouncement on the mega housing programme. The opening up of the green-belt area around Bangalore following the approval of the new Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) has paved the way for the BDA to obtain the requisite land for the housing scheme.

BDA Chairman Shankaralinge Gowda told The Hindu that the developed layouts would be owned by the BDA and land owners in the ratio of 60:40. The cost of land would be Rs. 500 a square foot.