JOIN USAn expert committee constituted by the State government to look into anomalies in the Transferable Development Rights (TDR) scheme has recently submitted its report to the Urban Development Department.
The committee headed by Director, Directorate of Town and Country Planning, S B Honnur, has recommended a number of changes to schemes to make them more attractive, including reduction of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for building construction and increase the value of TDR to 2.5 times the cost of land (guidance value) acquired, from the present 1.5 times.
There are no takers for the existing TDR scheme. Those who lose their lands and get TDR as compensation have not been able to sell the additional development rights. As a result, urban local bodies, including the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), are struggling to acquire land for development projects, including road widening.
Currently, maximum FAR of 3.25 is permitted in the State. Special FAR up to 4 is permissible along the Namma Metro corridor in Bengaluru city. The expert committee is of the view that limiting the permissible FAR to 1.5 will create a demand for TDR, which is the key for implementing infrastructure projects in major cities and towns, the official sources said.
The committee has recommended to the government to amend the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act to incorporate these changes, the sources added.