From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Mar 6: Two laws- Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972 and Karnataka Ownership Flats (Regulation of the Promotion of Construction, Sale, Management and Transfer) Act, 1972 – would be amended to make builders and developers liable for payment of penalty for regularisation of unauthorised constructions in all urban areas in the State under the Akrama-Sakrama scheme starting from March 23.
This announcement was made by Karnataka’s Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra in Bengaluru on Friday March 6.
The minister explained that the State Government decided to amend the two laws and put the onus of payment of penalty for regularisation of unauthorised construction on builders and developers as they are mainly responsible for construction of illegal buildings/apartments and housing layouts.
The Akrama-Sakarama scheme announced by the Urban Development Department has put the onus of payment of penalty for regularisation of residential and non-residential properties on owners of properties.
“We want to put the onus of paying penalty on the builders and developers as they are the persons responsible for the unauthorised constructions,’’ Jayachandra said.
The builders and developers, who violated norms during construction of buildings and sold properties would be escaping from the paying penalty if the two laws are not amended, he explained.
Besides making developers to pay penalty for regularisation of unauthorised constructions, the State Government has proposed to slap penalty as well as imprisonment of the builders/developers and officials, who indulge in unauthorised constructions and formation of housing layouts in the State in the future.
Jayachandra said the two Acts, which are more than 40 years old, would be suitably amended to impose fine and imprisonment of officials and builders involved in illegal construction of buildings and layouts.
Officials of Urban Local Bodies, who collide with developers/builders, and permit illegal constructions would also be punished under the proposed law, he said.
The Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972 and Karnataka Ownership Flats (Regulation of the Promotion of Construction, Sale, Management and Transfer) Act, 1972 would be merged into one for effective regulation of illegal constructions in urban areas, Jayachandra explained.
The Minister directed the officials of the Urban Development Department, which would implement the Akrama-Sakrama scheme, to give a proposal on merging both acts into one within 15 days.
The State Government would consider amending both acts during the coming budget session of the state legislature commencing from March 13, he said.