The Hindu 27.12.2013
BDA begins distribution of flats through lottery
Vertical growth is the only way, says Siddaramaiah
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah appeared upbeat on Thursday
as he presided over a function where the Bangalore Development Authority
(BDA) commenced distribution of its 3,000 new apartments through a
lottery system.
Mr. Siddaramaiah said that half of
the promise he had made during his July 2013 budget speech had been
delivered. “I had promised that the BDA will be made to deliver 6,000
apartments before I present the next budget. Of that, 3,000 flats are
being distributed now. I will make sure that the remaining are delivered
by March 2014.”
The Chief Minister hauled up the BDA
for its failure in distributing possession certificates to those
persons who had been allotted housing sites in Arkavathy Layout.
Although the allotment was made in June 2006, the BDA has not yet been
able to give possession to the allottees.
Mr.
Siddaramaiah told BDA Commissioner T. Sham Bhat, “I am promising people
that you will giver possession certificates by March 2014. Do not let me
down as I am making a public announcement.” However, the Arkavathy
layout allottees, who were present at the venue, were not convinced.
“The BDA has still not completed acquisition of land. How will they give
possession by March 2014?” G. Shivaprakash sought to know.
Satellite towns
Mr.
Siddaramaiah said the city had reached saturation and cannot grow
horizontally any more. “Vertical growth is the only way. We propose to
build 30,000 flats in phases,” he said while adding that an ambitious
project to construct several satellite townships around Bangalore was
under way.
Projects such as the Peripheral Ring Road
would facilitate the satellite township project, he said commending the
BDA for making progress on the 65-km road project. H.N. Manjula from
Soladevanahalli, near Hessarghatta, said: “They have not paid a single
rupee as compensation to land losers. How will they go ahead with the
PRR project without paying the land losers?”
He said
that the government gets a large number of complaints of irregularities
and corruption against the BDA. He said the authority had not formed a
single new layout in several years.
