Latest news with #TransferableDevelopmentRights


Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Drive to hand over encroachments on govt lands to occupants begins
MUMBAI: The state government is undertaking a special drive, beginning today, to regularise thousands of slums in rural areas built on government land, in line with its policy of protecting all illegal houses that were constructed before January 1, 2011. The state government had finalised the policy to regularise the illegal structures in 2018. For urban areas, it was finalised in 2019, though it is yet to be implemented (Representative photo) (Hindustan Times) The state government had finalised the policy to regularise the illegal structures in 2018. For urban areas, it was finalised in 2019, though it is yet to be implemented. The drive will expedite the process of transferring the land plots in the name of the occupants. Private land encroachments are regularised in exchange for the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) to the landowners. Meanwhile, there is a provision for urban local bodies to change the reservation of land as per the Housing For All-22 policy to regularise the slums on the government lands. The encroachments built before January 1, 2011, are eligible for regularisation under the 'public housing' or 'housing for dishoused' policies. In rural areas, a three-member committee, under the sub-divisional officer of the respective tehsil, will take a call on the regularisation of the plots while handing them over to the occupants. The occupants will be charged at the stipulated rate for regularisation, which is higher for the illegal structures that were built between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2011. 'The regularisation of the encroached lands in the name of the occupants in the rural areas will ensure the construction of the houses under PM Awas Yojana. In the absence of the regularisation of the encroached land, the state government is unable to achieve the expected pace in implementing the scheme. The state government has set the target of constructing 3 million houses under the scheme. The drive will help in expediting the process,' said an official from the revenue department. The officer added that the government has already introduced the sand policy by making free sand available for houses and simplifying the environment-related regulations to push the 'Housing For All' program. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, 'The drive will ensure the regularisation of the houses that were constructed until January 1, 2011, with the aim of giving thousands of beneficiaries houses they deserve.'


Hindustan Times
31-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Bengaluru plans 300 km of roads along stormwater drains to combat traffic: Report
In a move to enhance road infrastructure and ease traffic congestion, Maheshwar Rao, the Chief Commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) - which is Bengaluru's civic and administrative agency - has instructed officials to begin road development near Hosakerehalli Kodi Road in the RR Nagar zone, specifically within the buffer region surrounding local stormwater drains, according to a report by The New Indian Express. The ambitious 'Sanchara Yukta' program aims to construct 300 kilometres of roads across Bengaluru, promising improved connectivity and infrastructure resilience during monsoon seasons. (Representative image)(PTI) While visiting the area for an inspection, Rao emphasized that necessary land for the project could be secured using the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) system — a policy tool allowing builders to obtain additional development rights elsewhere in exchange for relinquishing land for public projects. He also examined nearby junctions and directed teams on-site to carry out road repairs to ensure smoother vehicular flow in the neighbourhood, the report stated. ALSO READ | Major cyber heist at Bengaluru crypto firm linked to North Korean hackers ; Employee under investigation : Report Adding to this initiative, BS Prahallad, who serves as the Technical Director for Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), spoke about a wider initiative under the 'Sanchara Yukta' programme. The plan aims to build 300 kilometres of roadways along stormwater drain buffer areas throughout the city. Within this broader framework, RR Nagar is set to receive around 70 kilometres of new roads, the report said. ALSO READ | ' Will blast India from Pakistan ' : Bengaluru apartment on edge after wall scribble sparks bomb scare Prahallad noted that constructing roads in these spaces — often underutilized — is expected to significantly improve access between key localities and help alleviate the growing problem of urban gridlock. The strategy aims to make effective use of available land while keeping city infrastructure resilient, particularly during heavy monsoon seasons when stormwater drains are most active, the report noted.


Hindustan Times
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Savarkar Sadan file on heritage status lost in 2012 Mantralaya fire: State to HC
MUMBAI: The papers pertaining to the according of heritage status to Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's Dadar residence, Savarkar Sadan, were lost in the 2012 Mantralaya fire, claimed the state government in its response to the public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay high court on the issue. In the 1980s and early 1990s, three floors were added to the two-storey bungalow courtesy the regime of Transferable Development Rights (TDR), which enabled developers to construct floors above existing buildings The reply submitted to the high court says, '...further action in the present matter could not be carried out as the relevant government records pertaining to this case were destroyed in the fire that occurred on 21.06.2012 on the fourth floor of Mantralaya, where the urban development department is situated.' The state claimed that it had taken efforts to look for and recreate the destroyed files and records from the available secondary records and sources, including correspondence with other departments and offices. 'However, despite taking all possible steps... the documents could not be traced, which seems to have caused a constraint in proceeding further with the subject matter,' says the reply. The BMC had given its final recommendation for heritage status for Savarkar's home in August 2010, and had forwarded this to the state government's urban development department. After the fire, the civic body on July 31, 2012, through a public notice, decided to revise the draft list of heritage buildings and precincts. Savarkar Sadan did not find a place in it. After Hindustan Times reported on May 5, 2025 that Savarkar's erstwhile residence was to be pulled down shortly to make way for a new building, a PIL was filed by Prof Pankaj Phadnis of the Abhinav Bharat Congress to revive the plea to accord heritage status. Commenting on the state's submission in court wherein the Mantralaya fire and the civic body were blamed, Phadnis told Hindustan Times, 'This charade must end. If the file was lost in a fire, nothing stops the government from getting the papers from the BMC... instead, the government has resorted to machinations by asking the BMC to take a fresh look. The obvious intention is to benefit the builder, who would now have the locus to raise an objection if public notices were to be reissued.' Lambasting the BJP-led government in the state, the petitioner added that he believed that the government's view was that the lot of the Savarkar family was only to suffer while everyone else made merry. Savarkar Sadan was constructed as a two-storey bungalow in 1938 on a plot measuring around 405 square metres in Dadar's Shivaji Park. Savarkar, founder of Abhinav Bharat Society, a secret grouping of Hindutva activists, and a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha, a political party, lived here. He met several top leaders at the bungalow, including Subhas Chandra Bose in 1940, and Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte in 1948, before they left for Delhi to assassinate Mahatma Gandhi. Savarkar's descendants continued to live in the building after his death in 1966. In the 1980s and early 1990s, three floors were added to the two-storey bungalow courtesy the regime of Transferable Development Rights (TDR), which enabled developers to construct floors above existing buildings.


New Indian Express
31-07-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
70-km roads to be built along SWDs in Bengaluru's RR Nagar
BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Chief Commissioner Maheshwar Rao directed officials to initiate steps for road construction in the buffer zone of stormwater drains (SWD) near the Hosakerehalli Kodi Road in RR Nagar zone. During an on-site inspection, he said land acquisition, if necessary, should be done through the Transferable Development Rights (TDR). He also inspected the adjoining crossroads near Kodi Road in Hosakerehalli and instructed that repair works be undertaken to ensure smooth vehicular movement. BS Prahallad, Technical Director of Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Limited (B-SMILE), said, 'To reduce traffic congestion in the city, an ambitious project has been initiated to develop 300 km of roads along the SWD buffer zones under the 'Sanchara Yukta' programme. Of this, 70 km of roads are planned within RR Nagar zone. Developing roads in the buffer zone will improve connectivity to several areas.'


The Hindu
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
BBMP chief orders expediting road widening works
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao directed officials to resolve issues related to Transferable Development Rights (TDR) concerning road widening projects and to expedite land acquisition for completing the ongoing infrastructure works. Mr. Rao instructed officials to hold discussions with property owners and resolve the disputes at the earliest. There are 16 ongoing road widening projects in the city, and work has been fully completed on two roads. He also directed officials to submit comprehensive information on how many properties have already been issued TDR, how many more need to be acquired, and the estimated expenditure required to complete the remaining acquisitions. The Chief Commissioner further instructed that a holistic approach be adopted for the development of traffic junctions to ensure smooth vehicular and pedestrian movement within a fixed time period. Further, Mr. Rao directed the officials to expedite high-density corridor (HDC) projects on the city's outer ring roads and ensure timely completion.