Boon for small house owners
Bengaluru
The state government has decided to issue notifications to exempt buildings built on properties measuring 1,200 square feet, and going up to three floors, from the mandate of occupancy certificates if the building plan has an approval in areas under state municipalities and municipal corporation laws.
The Cabinet has decided to exempt from obtaining Occupancy Certificate (OCC) for buildings up to 1,200 sq ft in area constructed with the approval of the government on plots up to 1,200 sq ft in area under the authority of the Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964, the cabinet noted.
The cabinet also decided to issue a notification under the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, to exempt buildings going up to three floors on plots with areas of 1,200 sq feet from obtaining an occupancy certificate, subject to the plan approvals for the buildings.
Last month, the Karnataka government had issued a notification exempting small-scale residential buildings in the Greater Bengaluru area from obtaining occupancy certificates. The government order issued by the Urban Development Department provided relief to homeowners constructing residential buildings on plots up to 1,200 sq ft.
Under the directive, buildings with ground plus two floors or three floors constructed on plots not exceeding 1,200 sq ft within the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) jurisdiction will not require occupancy certificates.
The exemption in Bengaluru was under Section 241(7) of the GBA Act, which came into force earlier this year. This section specifically empowers the government to notify the category of building which shall be exempted from obtaining occupancy certificate.
The Karnataka government has been deliberating decisions for creating “equal opportunities in all applicable laws regarding the functioning of local bodies across the state” for building possession certificates. The move is expected to benefit the construction sector, particularly small-scale residential projects.