Bangalore :On Wednesday, a resolution to issue ‘A’ khata to citizens who own revenue sites and sites in layouts that have not been approved by any planning authority, against a betterment charge  was approved by the The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

At present,  the BBMP is collecting Rs 200 per sq metre from the core city areas and Rs 250 per sq metre from newly-added area. Once the state government approves the BBMP resolution, it will start collecting betterment charges from revenue site owners too.

This move is expected to net the BBMP Rs 250 crore. BBMP Commissioner, Lakshminaryan says that this is  subject to  Lakshminarayan,. “Since the government has already framed rules and regulations for Akrama Sakrama scheme, the BBMP cannot issue a circular on collection of betterment charges from revenue sites without consulting the government. That apart, the BBMP has to also ensure that guidelines of Rajiv Chawla Committee for regularisation of unauthorised constructions are not violated,” he added.

Manjunath Reddy, the opposition leader, said that around one lakh revenue site owners were not paying property tax as they did not have khata. “There are more than 2.49 lakh properties under B Register, who pay property tax to the BBMP. By collecting betterment fee, the BBMP will be providing relief to around three lakh property owners in the city,” he contended.

Almost all Corporators, cutting across party lines have commended the resolution.