JOIN US×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Insipid BDA sells just 275 flats on day 1 of across-the-table sales
The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) sold 275 flats on the first day of its across-the-table sales on Friday. But the event was spoilt by a less-than-encouraging sales team that was unprepared to answer buyers’ questions.
Bhagyalakshmi Olekar, who works for the Indian Bureau of Mines, was very delighted as was the first to buy a flat. She arrived at the BDA’s head office at 9.15 am and managed to buy a flat in Malagala Phase 2. “I am happy to get this flat and I will move into it as soon as I get the keys,” said a visibly excited Olekar.
The BDA is offering 2,705 two- and three-bedroom flats at Valagerahalli, Alur and Malagala on a first-come-first-served basis. Anyone can walk in to the BDA head office, go to the sales counter, choose a flat of their choice, make payment and register it. As many as 1,500 flats are ready for possession and the rest will be ready in six months.
Although the sales generated good response, they also exposed the BDA’s lack of marketing and event management skills. The sales counter opened at noon but closed for lunch just 45 minutes later, leaving many people who had come around 9 am waiting for three hours. By lunch break, just 20 people had collected the application forms and only five had purchased the flats by paying the initial deposit.
Flats in Alur and Valagerahalli generated the most number of enquiries.
“I want a home in Alur Phase 2 as it has only ground and first floors. It will not feel like living in an apartment complex. I have a limited budget and I have been seeing this project for the past six months,” said Kiran Danagowda, a software engineer who came with his wife to buy the flat.
Fifteen applications for flats in Valagerahalli have been kept pending.
“We have a total of 33 flats in Valagerahalli. All the 15 in the general category were sold, while the rest are reserved for SCs, STs or under the government quota. If there are no takers for these categories on Monday, the flats will be allotted to general category applicants,” a BDA official said.
BDA Chairman K Venk-atesh said: “The idea behind this scheme is to ensure that all our flats are sold. We want to help the middle and lower middle classes that want to buy the flats quickly. We invited the applications twice, but received only 870 responses. So, we introduced the across-the-table sales. We are also selling civic amenity and corner sites, but the response has been poor.”
Explaining how the sales work, BDA Engineer N G Gowdaiah said the buyer should pay the registration and application fees to get the application form. S/he then has to pay the initial deposit at a nationalised bank, submit the challan and the required documents to the BDA and get an acknowledgment.
Once the bank releases the payment, the allotment letter is sent to the buyer by post. The buyer has to pay the rest and get the possession certificate.
There will be no sale on Saturday and Sunday. The counters will reopen at 10 am on Monday.
Bhagyalakshmi Olekar, who works for the Indian Bureau of Mines, was very delighted as was the first to buy a flat. She arrived at the BDA’s head office at 9.15 am and managed to buy a flat in Malagala Phase 2. “I am happy to get this flat and I will move into it as soon as I get the keys,” said a visibly excited Olekar.
The BDA is offering 2,705 two- and three-bedroom flats at Valagerahalli, Alur and Malagala on a first-come-first-served basis. Anyone can walk in to the BDA head office, go to the sales counter, choose a flat of their choice, make payment and register it. As many as 1,500 flats are ready for possession and the rest will be ready in six months.
Although the sales generated good response, they also exposed the BDA’s lack of marketing and event management skills. The sales counter opened at noon but closed for lunch just 45 minutes later, leaving many people who had come around 9 am waiting for three hours. By lunch break, just 20 people had collected the application forms and only five had purchased the flats by paying the initial deposit.
Flats in Alur and Valagerahalli generated the most number of enquiries.
“I want a home in Alur Phase 2 as it has only ground and first floors. It will not feel like living in an apartment complex. I have a limited budget and I have been seeing this project for the past six months,” said Kiran Danagowda, a software engineer who came with his wife to buy the flat.
Fifteen applications for flats in Valagerahalli have been kept pending.
“We have a total of 33 flats in Valagerahalli. All the 15 in the general category were sold, while the rest are reserved for SCs, STs or under the government quota. If there are no takers for these categories on Monday, the flats will be allotted to general category applicants,” a BDA official said.
BDA Chairman K Venk-atesh said: “The idea behind this scheme is to ensure that all our flats are sold. We want to help the middle and lower middle classes that want to buy the flats quickly. We invited the applications twice, but received only 870 responses. So, we introduced the across-the-table sales. We are also selling civic amenity and corner sites, but the response has been poor.”
Explaining how the sales work, BDA Engineer N G Gowdaiah said the buyer should pay the registration and application fees to get the application form. S/he then has to pay the initial deposit at a nationalised bank, submit the challan and the required documents to the BDA and get an acknowledgment.
Once the bank releases the payment, the allotment letter is sent to the buyer by post. The buyer has to pay the rest and get the possession certificate.
There will be no sale on Saturday and Sunday. The counters will reopen at 10 am on Monday.
ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 11 August 2017, 20:21 IST)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT