AKRAMA - SAKRAMA REQUIREMENTS-ELIGIBILITY-AFTER EFFECTS

The state government is set to issue a fresh notification on Akrama-Sakrama, the onetime regularization scheme for unauthorized building constructions and violations.

A senior BBMP official said citizens who apply for the scheme have to fill in Form 1, `Application for Regularization of Unauthorized Development' which has four sub-sections, depending on the category of violation pertaining to the applicant's property.

PAPERS WILL BE CHECKED

"Each category of violation has a certain set of documents that need to be attached to the form. Since the scheme is a self-declaration model to start with, citizens should assess their property dimensions and file the application with relevant documents. Civic officials will go through the documents, approve of them or reject them after a spot inspection," he added.

"For some category of violations, we are asking for an NOC from the KSPCB as the Akrama-Sakrama rulebook clearly says that no special and hazardous industry, or an industry categorized `Red' by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, shall be regularized. Also, scrutiny fee and regularization fee will have to be paid through demand drafts favouring the competent authority," he added.

Asked what would happen to property owners who don't apply for the scheme but continue with the violations, BBMP officials said, "We've got instructions to map such properties once the April deadline for filing applications is over. The government may issue orders to demolish properties which continue to violate building norms."

Civic officials reiterated that buildings or sites encroaching spaces reserved for parks, open spaces and playgrounds and public/semipublic activities in the respective master plans of the localities will not be considered for regularization.

"Properties encroaching parks or civic amenities in approved layouts will not be regularized. They will face demolition," an official said.

If you own a structure that violates building norms and think you can get away by not applying under Akrama-Sakrama, think again. Foreseeing poor response to the proposed regularization scheme, the state government will make it mandatory to regularize illegal constructions and unauthorized structures in urban areas.

Those who fail to apply and regularize their illegal structures by paying the stipulated penalty will face dis connection of water and electricity services and, finally, demolition.

BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said the civic body will undertake a survey of all buildings, irrespective of whether they apply for the regularization scheme or not, before initia ting action. As per the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Regulation of Unauthorized Development or Construction) Rules, action can be taken under Section 76FF of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. This section empowers urban local bodies, among others, to demolish such structures.

The government will incorporate the mandatory clause in the rules to be notified, to ensure no one gets away scot-free and the civic body earns a target revenue of Rs 5,000 crore.

Three categories of unauthorized constructions will attract action -unauthorized buildings for which no application for regularization is received within the time limit, unauthorized buildings which are not eligible to be regularized under the scheme as violations are beyond the fixed limit, and unauthorized buildings for which the regularization fee has not been paid within the stipulated time limit. Justifying the need for such a clause, a senior of ficial at the state urban development department said the Akrama-Sakrama scheme will pave the way for the regularization of over 10 lakh unauthorized buildings raised in violation of construction norms in Bengaluru alone, but it doesn't guarantee that all will respond. “We ex pect a response from just about 30%, so the government has decided to include the clause to ensure that owners of all unauthorized structures apply for regularization of the building,“ he added.

The application for regularization has to be made within four months from the date of commencement of the notification, tentatively April, considering the government is due to issue it soon.

Opting for Akrama-Sakrama to regularize the violations of your building?

PAPERS WILL BE CHECKED

“Each category of violation has a certain set of documents that need to be attached to the form. Since the scheme is a self-declaration model to start with, citizens should assess their property dimensions and file the application with relevant documents. Civic officials will go through the documents, approve of them or reject them after a spot inspection,“ he added.

“For some category of violations, we are asking for an NOC from the KSPCB as the Akrama-Sakrama rulebook clearly says that no special and hazardous industry, or an industry categorized `Red' by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, shall be regularized. Also, scrutiny fee and regularization fee will have to be paid through demand drafts favouring the competent authority,“ he added.

Asked what would happen to property owners who don't apply for the scheme but continue with the violations, BBMP officials said, “We've got instructions to map such properties once the April deadline for filing applications is over. The government may issue orders to demolish properties which continue to violate building norms.“

Civic officials reiterated that buildings or sites encroaching spaces reserved for parks, open spaces and playgrounds and publicsemipublic activities in the respective master plans of the localities will not be considered for regularization.

“Properties encroaching parks or civic amenities in approved layouts will not be regularized. They will face demolition,“ an official said.

If you own a structure that violates building norms and think you can get away by not applying under Akrama-Sakrama, think again. Foreseeing poor response to the proposed regularization scheme, the state government will make it mandatory to regularize illegal constructions and unauthorized structures in urban areas.

Those who fail to apply and regularize their illegal structures by paying the stipulated penalty will face dis connection of water and electricity services and, finally, demolition.

BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said the civic body will undertake a survey of all buildings, irrespective of whether they apply for the regularization scheme or not, before initia ting action. As per the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Regulation of Unauthorized Development or Construction) Rules, action can be taken under Section 76FF of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. This section empowers urban local bodies, among others, to demolish such structures.

The government will incorporate the mandatory clause in the rules to be notified, to ensure no one gets away scot-free and the civic body earns a target revenue of Rs 5,000 crore.

Three categories of unauthorized constructions will attract action -unauthorized buildings for which no application for regularization is received within the time limit, unauthorized buildings which are not eligible to be regularized under the scheme as violations are beyond the fixed limit, and unauthorized buildings for which the regularization fee has not been paid within the stipulated time limit. Justifying the need for such a clause, a senior      official at the state urban development department said the Akrama-Sakrama scheme will pave the way for the regularization of over 10 lakh unauthorized buildings raised in violation of construction norms in Bengaluru alone, but it doesn't guarantee that all will respond. “We expect a response from just about 30%, so the government has decided to include the clause to ensure that owners of all unauthorized structures apply for regularization of the building,“ he added.

The application for regularization has to be made within four months from the date of commencement of the notification, tentatively April, considering the government is due to issue it by today or tomorrow.