However, senior BBMP officials have placed a rider by stating that ‘A’ khata alone cannot be considered as regularising the property. “Even if they pay the betterment charges and get their ‘B’ khata converted into ‘A’ khata, property owners will still have to get their land regularised under Akrama-Sakrama,” informed a Palike official.
The ‘A’ khata will give the citizens right to display their name in the revenue pockets of the City, largely located on the outskirts of the Palike jurisdiction.
As part of the betterment charges, the Taxation and Finance Committee has proposed a series of improvement rates to be implemented on converted revenue land.
According to the Committee’s proposal, owners of converted revenue sites measuring 222.96 sq m (60 x 40) will be charged Rs 250 per sq m, while those owning 111 sq m (30 x 40) will be burdened with Rs 200 per sq m. While the proposal is not final, it is likely to be placed before the BBMP Council for approval.
Revenue downsized
Meanwhile, senior officials in the BBMP have downsized the expected revenue from the betterment charges with only six months left to accrue the revenue. Moreover, the BBMP does not have a survey of the converted revenue land in its jurisdiction of 800 sq km.
While the estimates from betterment charges were placed at Rs 120 crore in the Budget, the Palike may accrue only about Rs 100 crore if the charges are implemented this financial year.
With rates fixed at the above prices, the BBMP is trying hard to accrue as much as Rs 150 crore in the current financial year. But officials state that it may be hard to get the estimated amount with half the financial year complete and with no survey of the converted revenue sites. “We may be able to get Rs 100 crore at the minimum as opposed to the revised estimates of Rs 150 crore from the betterment fee,” informed a Palike source.
The betterment charges proposed by the Committee will now be placed before the BBMP Council for its approval before being implemented.
The charges are being contemplated after a long drawn legal battle between the State and the citizens disputing that rules were yet to be framed for the charges to be levied on properties.
Subsequently, the State Government, after nearly three years, framed the rules and passed a Government Order (GO) on February 3, this year, asking the BBMP to start collecting the fees.