CMO opens a dam of ‘allot stray site’ orders

CMO opens a dam of ‘allot stray site’ orders
But BDA Will Not Make Any Allotments
The Times of India

Bangalore: While political uncertainty clouded governance over the last few days, the chief minister’s office was rushing to clear hundreds of stray site allotments, it is learnt. This, notwithstanding the chief secretary’s ban on clearing any new projects in the crisis hour.

Over nine days, the CMO had issued more than 500 orders to the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to allot stray sites. The beneficiaries were the kith and kin of the CM and his ministerial colleagues, party functionaries and some of the ministers. And on the D-day — January 27 — alone, the BDA had received 75 orders from the CM.

“Starting from January 19, the BDA received nearly 40 orders for stray site allotments per day and majority of the share has gone to large number of CM’s relatives. Apart from the cat, dog, parrots and other pets in his house, everyone else have been assured of sites by the CMO,’’ official sources in the government told The Times of India.

However, the BDA has not allotted any site. “When the beneficiary is issued a copy of the order, he will be very sure of getting a site. But the BDA cannot honour these orders.

Even before the chief secretary banned fresh approvals for any projects, the rule had been clamped in the BDA,’’ officials said.

As per law, stray sites have to be allotted to those “persons in public life as may be directed by the government.’’ The sites under this G category has been left to the discretion of the chief minister. Stray sites are those that are claimed back by the BDA after a default payment for an allotted site or cancellation of site. As per the BDA rules, only 30 per cent of such reclaimed sites can be allotted to the G category and the rest 70 per cent are auctioned. However, a stray site allottee will pay 25 per cent more than the site value fixed by BDA.

Prior to 1/19, over the last 20 months, the CM’s office had issued orders to allot stray sites for 398 people of which the BDA has allotted 75 sites including the sitting KPCC president. The reason being: the BDA has exhausted its stray sites. It had put on hold the remaining orders and looking at the political developments, in all probability, even these orders will be dumped, officials added.

The BDA has exhausted its stray sites in the mostsought-after areas - HSR layout, HAL, Indiranagar and BTM. In future, fresh stray site allotments will be made in the new layouts - Anjanapura, BSK 6th stage, Sir MV Layout and their extensions.