Stung by Poor Response, Govt unveils revised BPS plan
TOI 01.02.08

The state government on Thursday came out with a revised building penalisation scheme (BPS) and layout regularisation scheme (LRS) by taking into account the current land value to calculate the penal amount for violations. The date of BPS has been extended to March 31, 2008, with a provision to pay penal amounts in two instalments — 50 % at the time of application and the balance amount within six months.

The earlier plan announced on Dec. 31, 2007, had been put on hold on Monday by chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy following massive opposition. This scheme had prescribed a uniform rate on owners irrespective of plot size and the area while letting builders go scot-free. This resulted in an uproar across the state with several representations to the CM pouring in from NGOs, mayors, chairpersons of municipal corporations and municipalities, resident welfare associations, builders associations and the general public. A petition has been filed in the AP High Court too questioning the scheme which penalises unsuspecting flat owners but fails to bring to book errant builders.

The revised scheme is bound to pinch violators more in upmarket areas such as Jubilee Hills where a sq yard costs more than Rs 25,000 and the penalisation charge is 100 % of the basic penal amount. While for areas such as Uppal where the market value of the land is Rs 2,000 per sq yard, the penalisation charge is 25 %.

The most affected would be those who converted their buildings for commercial use. They would be paying double penalisation charges at rates prescribed for commercial use on the built-up area converted into commercial use. Municipal administration principal secretary S P Singh, who issued two GOs — GO 112 and GO 113 — on Thursday, said: “The revised BPS was finalised after the CM sought adequate relief for old constructions, lower penal rates for buildings in small plots and penal rates based on existing land value.”

On how the new scheme benefits small plot holders, Singh said that G+1 RCC buildings constructed on 100 sq mt were exempted. While 50% concession was being extended to buildings constructed in notified slums, those built prior to 1998 were being given 25 % concession, he said. Singh said that the basic penalisation charges for individual residential buildings and other non-commercial use was Rs 20/sq ft up to 100 sq mt and an upper limit of Rs 100/sq ft for unauthorized deviations above 30% for above 1,000 sq mt.

The government has linked the revised regularisation scheme for illegal layouts to the size of the plot. The penalisation charges with reference to land value is in the range of 25% of the basic penal amount for areas with a market value of up to Rs 500 per sq yard and 100% of the basic penal amount for areas with a market value of above Rs 25,000 per sq yard.

Municipal administration and urban development principal secretary S P Singh said that the basic penalisation charges for individual residential buildings and other non-commercial use was Rs 20/sq ft up to 100 sq mt and an upper limit of Rs 100/sq ft for unauthorised deviations above 30% for above 1,000 sq mt. The penalisation charges with reference to land value varies from 25% to 100% of the basic penal amount for areas with land value of up to Rs 500 per sq yard and Rs 25,000 and above per sq yard.

The basic penalisation charges per flat (covered by approved plan) with a plinth area of up to 600 sq ft is Rs 10,000; Rs 20,000 for plinth area of 601-1200 sq ft; Rs 30,000 for a plinth area of 1,201-2,000 sq ft; and Rs 40,000 for a plinth area of above 2,000 sq ft. The basic penalisation charges for unauthorised floors for above-mentioned plinth area per sq ft is Rs 60, Rs 75, Rs 90 and Rs 100 respectively.

Similarly, the penalisation charges for apartments with reference to land value ranges from 50% in areas where prices are up to Rs 5,000 per sq yard to 100% in areas where prices are above Rs 25,000 per sq yard.For illegal layouts, the penalisation charges are in the range of Rs 200 per sq mt for a plot area of less than 100 sq mt to Rs 500 per sq mt for a plot area above 500 sq mt, against the earlier uniform penalisation charge of Rs 600 per sq mt.

The penalisation charges for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) are said to be more than those applicable in areas under Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC).