BENGALURU: Building a new house in the city is set to get a little costlier. Those constructing buildings will have to cough up a lake rejuvenation fee, in addition to existing fees for water, electricity connection and building plan approval.
The lake fee is likely to be fixed at Rs 25 per square metre for local planning areas within the Bengaluru Metropolitan Region, irrespective of population. This will translate into Rs 2,785 for a building coming up on a 30×40 ft plot and Rs 5,572 for a house coming up on a 60×40 ft plot. For buildings coming up in local planning areas with a population of 10 lakh and above, other than metropolitan region, the fee is fixed at Rs 20 per square metre. BBMP has issued a circular, asking town-planning officials and joint commissioners in all eight zones to collect the lake rejuvenation fee at the time building plan approval.
A copy of the circular accessed by TOI says the fee collection is in accordance with Section 18 (1A) of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning act (KTCP), 1961. The law says the local planning authority is empowered to levy and collect an additional fee for rejuvenation of waterbodies.
The circular follows a government decision in January allowing collection of fee from new constructions coming under BDA and Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority regions. An official said, “Though Section 18 (1A) of KTCP Act allows collection of fee at Rs 1 lakh per acre, related slabs and other rules are yet to be framed.”
Courtsey:Â Rohith BR| TNN | April 5, 2017