Betterment Fee: BBMP takes a stand

The recently issued notification for payment of betterment fee have put the site owners in Bangalore in a quandary. Those sites that are endowed with required land use conversion, however, they are not authenticated by the civic agencies need to shell out a betterment fee. Sites on land parcels that are not notified by different government agencies are also legally entitled to pay the fee. The BBMP in this regard, declared to implement the differential betterment fee slabs based on the plot areas.

Why it is needed?

By paying the betterment fee, plot owners will get a hold of the ‘A’ khata. At present, such owners are laced with only ‘B’ khata that does not help in getting loans. Such a move will help in getting approvals and sanctions from civic bodies like BMRDA and BDA. Furthermore, the cash-crunched civic body is trying every means possible to mobilize a revenue of 200 via different methods and nothing can be better than the collection of betterment fees.

As per BBMP officials, such a move by the BBMP will give rise to a huge revenue and make it convenient for people to construct houses and sell sites to buyers.According to property consultants, most of the properties that are strategically located on city outskirts are entitled to a betterment fee scheme.

Slabs for the fee

The civic body has come up with two-different slabs-

• Rs. 350 per square metre for properties up to 1,000 square metres and
• Rs 300 for plots measuring beyond 1,000 square metres

Most plots that can get benefitted are situated on the city outskirts and have been included in the locations which fall under the BBMP’s jurisdiction.

As per the BBMP officials slabs were decided depending on the money spent, and should be spent for the growth and development of infrastructure in the newly added locations in Bangalore. Furthermore, BBMP officials quote that the sites must be carved out of lands that has the approval for non-agricultural use. The sites can be carved also on lands that are denotified by government agencies like KIADB, KHB and BDA.