Regularise or shell out hefty fine

Regularise or shell out hefty fine
DH News Service, Bangalore:
Only 22 days are left to file applications for regularisation of unauthorised constructions under the Sakrama scheme. Those who fail to avail this opportunity will have to pay a hefty fine, besides losing power and water supply.

Under the Capital Value System adopted by the Palike to assess property tax, owners of sites where unauthorised constructions have come up, should pay double the property tax of the building as fine as long as the unlawful construction remains!

Under Section 112 - C of Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act 1976, owners of those buildings constructed without obtaining permission from the local body or constructed in contravention of the approved building plan or a site in a layout developed without formal approval are liable to pay an annual penalty.

This is equivalent to twice the property tax leviable on such buildings as long as it remains unlawful.

BBMP Special Commissioner (Finance) Sandeep Dash said, if a owner had built an additional 1,000 sqmtrs against the approved plan, he would have to pay double the property tax for the additional construction as penalty. If a building comes up in an unauthorised layout, the owner has to pay double the amount of the property tax as penalty. Moreover, the Palike will collect the penalty until either the deviation is set right or regularised.
“Sakrama is the best opportunity for property owners to get violations regularised. If they miss this opportunity, they have to pay fine”, Mr Dash said.

Under the CVS, property tax is calculated by considering market value of the building and the total plinth area. Under the resolution passed by the Palike administrator, 0.5 per cent of total market value is collected as tax for residential buildings and 2 per cent is collected from owners of non-residential buildings. The Palike follows guidance value fixed by the Revenue Department to assess the tax.