The ‘beneficiaries’ have to wait
S. RAJENDRAN
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The Akrama-Sakrama regularisation scheme again hits a roadblock and will take quite some time to be implemented
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— Photo: K. Gopinathan
Helping hand: Prospective borrowers at one of the centres set up for sanctioning bank loans for regularising unauthorised constructions under Sakrama scheme (file photo).
The hopes and aspirations of a large number of Bangaloreans in particular, apart from those owning unauthorised constructions in several tier-two cities of the State, to utilise the Akrama-Sakrama scheme and thus legalise their dwelling unit continues to remain a distant dream with the Governor, H.R.Bhardwaj, suggesting a thorough discussion on the issue on the floor of the Legislature.
Successive Governments over the last five years have attempted to bring forth the regularisation scheme and their attempts have been thwarted owing to various reasons. Two former Governors — T.N. Chaturvedi and Rameshwar Thakur — were compelled to step in during their tenure to convey to the Government of the day that they should consider all aspects before finalising the scheme and the amendments to the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act (this is mandatory for implementing the regularisation scheme) were finally approved by the Governor in mid-2007 with a validity for a brief period in-built in it.
The action of the incumbent Governor too is on similar lines while turning down the request of the Government for promulgating an ordinance. It should be noted that there is also a public interest litigation pending in the High Court in the same matter wherein relief has been sought on certain provisions of the 2007 Act.
The number of unauthorised constructions in the State has swelled with every passing year and what was four lakh when the regularisation scheme was first proposed in 2004 has now touched nearly 13 lakh of which 10 lakh is in Bangalore alone.
Given the nature of the reply given by the Governor to the proposal of the State Cabinet to promulgate an ordinance, the regularisation scheme is expected to be implemented well after the elections to the council of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike scheduled to be gone through on February 21.
Discussion sought
The much-touted scheme of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party aimed at pleasing Bangaloreans has thus hit a roadblock right away with the Opposition parties keen on a full-fledged discussion on the subject which is likely only in the budget session of the State Legislature in March. For the scheme to be implemented, the Government has to bring forth an amendment to the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act and this is the chief obstacle for the Government in pushing through with the regularisation scheme.
Sources in the two main Opposition parties in the two Houses of the Karnataka Legislature, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular), told The Hindu that they are happy with the decision of the Governor to refrain from promulgating an ordinance. “It is an important subject which involves the lives of several lakhs of people. There has to be a full-fledged discussion on the Karnataka Town Planning (amendment) Bill.”
Leaders of the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) told The Hindu they were not per se against the Akrama-Sakrama scheme but were keen on a detailed discussion. It has to be ensured that real estate developers and commercial builders who have indulged in gross violations of building bye-laws are not showered with benefits in the garb of taking care of the economically weaker sections who have constructed a small house on a revenue site with difficulty. It should be ensured that the scheme is only for the benefit of the common people and not to safeguard the interests of the rich and hence the need for a detailed discussion, they said.
Sources in the Government told The Hindu that it may take another six months for the scheme to be implemented given the ramifications involved in the regularisation process. People will, however, have a year’s time to apply for regularisation from the date of commencement of the process, although the cut-off date for regularisation has been fixed — December 3, 2009 — the date on which the State Cabinet approved the scheme. Soon after the legislation is enacted, the rules governing the scheme have to be drafted and notified, calling for objections which is also time consuming.
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