Plot buyers in Bengaluru forced to pay extra interest due to delays by govt body

While the plots in the developed land were supposed to be handed over to the owners by March 2018, BDA has now reportedly looking to finish the works by Dec 2021.
Plot buyers in Bengaluru forced to pay extra interest due to delays by govt body
Plot buyers in Bengaluru forced to pay extra interest due to delays by govt body

Plot buyers of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (NPKL) in greater Bengaluru are left in the lurch as the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has not yet finished developing the layout, compelling the buyers to make alternative arrangements for their housing.

While the plots on the developed land were supposed to be handed over to the owners by March 2018, the BDA has missed that, and several subsequent deadlines. In a recent submission to the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), the BDA sought another extension of the deadline till December 2021. 

While the plot buyers – who bought the land in 2016 – are kept waiting for more than a year on one hand, on the other, they will be forced to pay at least 3% more interest on their home loans due to the delay. All the allottees needed to pay the entire amount upfront within two months of the plot being allocated. 

Suryakiran, one of the 20,000 buyers, said, “Since there is no separate loan for plot sites nowadays, we all had taken home loans. As part of the clause, if we don’t start the construction, then the loan is treated as a commercial loan. Many of us have already got notices from banks for the same. Now after we have exhausted all our savings, we are forced to lose more money.”

He added, “How can they claim 70% of the work is over when there is no road, no water or electricity lines drawn?”

Through this time, plot buyers have alleged that the BDA was making inordinate delays in carrying out requisite work -- from acquiring land to carrying out civil works or paying bills to the subcontractors even though every buyer had to pay the full amount upfront.

Moreover, another problem affecting the site owners is that the layout which is being built along a 10-km patch has some land which has not been acquired and is part of existing villages. So when the BDA’s contractors want to lay underground utilities like power cables, sewage lines and water reservoirs, they are objected to by the local residents.

Another site buyer, Santosh, said, “We are in financial stress without any fault of ours. The BDA is not cooperating with us. They are not being least bit transparent. Even after meeting the BDA Commissioner or taking them to RERA we have not got any assurance. The deadlines keep on changing and they refuse to show us any maps or plans.”

Over the past year, around 6,000 of the plot buyers united under the name of NPKL Open Forum and approached RERA. But even then, they have not got any relief or answers from the BDA officials over the delay.

Other than these issues, some parts of the land within the layout are under legal dispute.  

TNM could not reach BDA Engineering Member or any concerned official for comment.

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