Karnataka - Bangalore   

Waiting for decades for a site

Sharath S. Srivatsa

BANGALORE: The wait has been long and has not been fruitful for hundreds of members of housing cooperative societies dreaming of owning a site in Bangalore. A sense of despair and frustration has set in among many families after attempts to secure a housing site failed.

The housing cooperative societies that mushroomed in Bangalore after 1970s, around the time when Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) also went into hibernation, provided a ray of hope for many. However, even after decades, several thousands of aspirants are still nowhere near getting their site.

“We did not apply for a BDA site as allotment process was moving at a snail’s pace, and we were also not confident of getting one,” said R. Saraswathi, who deposited money with the National Technological Institution Housing Cooperative Society, which is yet to allot sites to its members. In anticipation, members have deposited Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh, depending on the dimension of the sites applied for.

If this is the fate of members of NTIHCS, similar is the situation of thousands of members of other housing cooperate societies in Bangalore. Of the 195 housing cooperative societies registered in Bangalore since 1970s, only 137 distributed sites to its members and the rest failed to do so, leaving thousands in the lurch.

Nearly two decades after Ms. Saraswathi deposited the money, she says: “All that we have today is an allotment order from the society and the physical possession of site is still a dream for hundreds of us.” N. Chandrashekar, another member of the society, said that they invested their money to create an asset that could come in handy during times of emergency or to fund children’s education or marriage.

Established in 1980, the society proposed to distribute 2,500 sites by forming Rajiv Gandhi Nagar Layout at Kodigehalli, near the University of Agricultural Sciences, on 180 acres of land. Over 1,500 members were issued allotment letters, but the society is yet to give physical possession. “We have paid all the dues, including the fine for deviating from the plan, and the Supreme Court has ruled in our favour, yet the BDA has not accorded the plan sanction,” says one of the directors of the society on condition of anonymity.

The BDA authorities, however, say that the approval for the layout has not been given since provisions had not been made for CA sites and park area. “If the society cannot provide us the sites due to technical problems, at least it should inform the members about the same and rectify the mistake that it has committed,” said another member.

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