The Deccan Chronicle 06.12.2010
TDR should be droppedIn the present circumstances, there is no market for TDR at all. The BBMP has been forcing citizens to accept TDR which is just a piece of paper with no demand for it. Considering the present real estate market scenario and the Akrama Sakrama scheme for regularisation of illegal property, the TDR scheme will flop. If the Sakrama scheme is approved by the government in any form, there will be no demand for TDR at all. Sakrama will regularize almost 80 per cent of the building byelaw deviations if a penalty is paid.
Actually, TDR should be done away with and the BBMP and other civic agencies must concentrate on promoting mass transportation. Several developed countries have realized that road widening is not the solution for traffic woes.They have started implementing mass public transport modes. The government must come out with a suitable model which will be accepted by citizens. Compensation should be given in such a way that the property loser is in a position to buy property elsewhere. The government has a duty to create a market for TDR. If there are no takers for TDR, it should not be enforced.
The TDR must also provide for a rehabilitation package. Considering the market value of the property acquired, suitable compensation should be fixed. Even the town planning scheme may not be attractive as it would not suit Bengaluru. It could be a success in Gujarat. But people in Bengaluru have a different temperament and will not accept it.
(N.S. Mukunda is chairman, Citizen Action Forum)
