House panel to inspect Kempegowda Layout works on May 26

By Y. Maheswara Reddy | NT

Bengaluru: Finally, the woes of hapless site allottees of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout have reached Karnataka Legislature Committee on Petitions, which has decided to visit the layout to inspect the progress of ongoing developmental works.

“We have received a complaint from MLA S Suresh Kumar on the lack of progress in infrastructure-related works at Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. We have directed the BDA Commissioner to expedite the completion of all developmental works at the layout. The BDA Commissioner has sought the time till the end of this year to complete the developmental works. We are visiting the layout on May 26 to know the progress of ongoing developmental works,” said M.P. Appachu Ranjan, MLA and member of Karnataka Legislature Committee on Petitions.

Speaking with News Trail, an MLA and member of Karnataka Legislature Committee on Petitions, on a condition of anonymity, has said the site allottees have suffered through considerable hardship due to the BDA’s failure in putting the basic infrastructure in place even after six years allocation of sites. “The site allottees who avail housing loans from banks have to pay more if they fail to construct buildings within three years. The site allottees ended up paying more money to the banks and also continued staying at rented houses. We have advised the BDA authorities to complete the developmental works. They have assured us to complete all the ongoing works,” said the MLA.

Welcoming the inspection by Karnataka Legislature Committee on Petitions, Surya Kiran, spokesperson, Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout Forum has opined that the department which comes under the Chief Minister was supposed to set a benchmark in housing projects but the BDA is not functioning to help common people.

“The BDA failed to meet the deadlines – 2018 and 2021 – set by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority. The BDA does not have the answer when it would complete infrastructure-related works,” said Surya Kiran.

He said the BDA collected lakhs of rupees from site owners upfront and made them suffer by paying higher equal monthly instalments to the financial institutions, house rent. “It looks like the BDA is misleading the Chief Minister on the progress of ongoing developmental works at Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout,’’ he said.

He blamed the BDA for giving importance to Dr Shivarama Karanth Layout and ignoring Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. “Around 60 per cent of works relating to basic amenities are pending. The BDA is yet to acquire 1300 acres of land and clear payments to the contractors,” he said.