Akrama deadline extension likely

Akrama deadline extension likely

The extended akrama-sakrama timeline for regularising properties will not only fill up the government coffers, but also help woo bangaloreans before civic polls

An additional revenue of rs1,000-1,500 crore is expected, with more than two lakh property owners and one lakh structures and as many unauthorised sites benefitting

Hemanth Kumar. Bangalore



Faced with the challenge of mobilising funds for the flood relief works in northern Karnataka and wooing Bangaloreans with an eye on the BBMP polls, the cabinet sub-committee on Akrama-Sakrama scheme to regularise unauthorised structures and sites has decided to extend the cut-off date for availing the benefit of regularisation with a penalty.
The sub-committee, headed by transport minister R Ashok and comprising IT&BT minister Katta Subramanya Naidu, rural development and panchayat raj minister Shobha Karandlaje and law minister Suresh Kumar, met on Wednesday and felt that the benefit of regularisation should cover the violations till the date of passing the necessary bill in the legislature.
"Earlier, the proposal was to impose a penalty and regularise illegal buildings that had come up till January 2007. But now, we have decided to extend it to all illegal constructions and unauthorised sites and layouts that have come up till the date on which the law would be enacted by the legislature," secretariat sources said.
The new draft Regularisation of Unauthorised Structures and Lands Bill would be ready in the next three days and it is likely to be approved in the next cabinet meeting.
The bill is expected to be moved in the next session of the state legislature.
The liberalised Akrama-Sakrama scheme would benefit over two lakh property owners, including about one lakh structures and over one lakh unauthorised sites and layouts in Bangalore.
It would bring in additional revenue of about Rs1,000-1,500 crore, thus taking the total expected revenue to over Rs5,000 crore to the state exchequer.
The earlier proposal was expected to benefit about seven lakh property owners with a potential to net about Rs4,000 crore in the form of penalties.
The sub-committee has already announced the rates of penalties for various quanta of violations in different zones.
The penalty will range between a minimum of Rs30,000 and a maximum of Rs2,10,000, depending on the quantum of violation, area in which the property is located and whether it is a residential or commercial property.
Once the bill is approved, the beneficiaries would be given three months time to pay the penalty and regularise their unauthorised constructions and sites.