Karnataka’s Land Reforms Act: Builders demand for a change

In a move that created a stir, the builders and developers in Karnataka have proposed a significant change in the Land Reforms Act of the state. CREDAI(Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India), the real estate body of Karnataka, has urged the government to make some serious amendments to the recently announced Land Reforms Act. This will put the developers and real estate market of the state high on the hog.

The proposed change

According to CREDAI officials, the new Karnataka Land Reforms Act prohibits a non-grower to buy agricultural land from the owners (in Karnataka) directly. As an attempt to turn the tables, the CREDAI has made an appeal to the state government to exempt lands that are marked under the Developmental Plan made by BIAAPA, BDA, BMRDA et al in the Bangalore District.

The association also requested that all lands that are reserved for developmental plans prepared in Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad,Mysore, Belgaum, Gulbarga and some other urban regions, should be excused from the application of Section 79 A & B of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act.

Since all these lands are in line for development, either for residential or industrial purpose, they should be excused from the Land Reforms Law. In addition to it, since the agricultural status of these lands have gone astray, the CREDAI has requested the government to exempt such lands from Section 79 A and B of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act,

The aftermath

To make matters worse, around lakhs of people who make their bread and butter from construction activities, will become jobless. To get the construction industry back on track, the CREDAI has made an appeal to the state government to declare the policies for quarrying of sand, without delay.

The registration of sites in BMRDA and BIAPA areas has been on a standstill, since the last four months, solely for the reason that the Khata extract( used for registration) is now done in electronic format. Lack of facility in the panchayats to avail computers have led the registration process to hold off. To untangle such a situation, the CREDAI has asked the government to allow properties for registration which are certified by BMRDA and BIAPPA.