The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has drawn public ire for allegedly changing norms in the allotment of flats for the economically weaker section (EWS).
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has drawn public ire for allegedly changing norms in the allotment of flats for the economically weaker section (EWS).
For example, people who reside in the city’s outskirts find themselves not eligible for applying for a flat.
BDA, which was set up to provide residential, commercial, industrial and civic amenity sites, recently took up the project to construct 30,000 flats in 17 places for the poor in the BBMP limits.
But it changed the norms in the allotment of flats, according to BM Shivakumar, RTI activist and president of Jayaprakash Narayan Vichara Vedike.
The BDA, in its application form (19 point), mentions that only people residing in BBMP’s jurisdiction for not less than 10 years prior to the date of registration are eligible for applying for the flat.
But according to Shivakumar, the form, quoting BDA (allotment of sites) Rules 1984, clearly mentions on the top that the allotment of flats are for EWS people whose annual income is less than Rs1 lakh.
“In BDA Rules 1984, there is no mention of eligibility to only those living in the BBMP’s jurisdiction. To my knowledge, the rules say that any person residing 15 years in the state can apply for these sites. Had the government made any amendment to the rules, the BDA should have mentioned it in the application form. This was not done,” said Shivakumar.
By changing the rules, people who are residing outside the city limits such as in Kumbalgod and Tavarekere are left out of the scheme as they cannot apply for a flat even though they may be living just a few kilometres away from the city’s jurisdiction, he said.
Many poor people are living outside the city limits as they cannot afford to pay the huge rent in the city.
The application form also says an applicant should provide employment certificate from the employer.
“How can a self-employed person furnish the details of the employer or his annual income? This condition in the form will also prevent people from applying for these flats,” he said.
There are flaws in the column on caste certificate too. The form was not properly prepared by the BDA and it confuses the applicants. Years back, when the BDA constructed flats at Nandhini Layout and Kumaraswamy Layout, there were no such rules, he said.
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