Blurb
Despite recent reforms to simplify approvals and relax Occupancy Certificate norms, developers say delays in sanctions, clearances and occupancy certificates continue to stall housing projects, affect homebuyers and slow Bengaluru’s vertical growth.
CH NEWS
BENGALURU
Even as the Karnataka government rolls out reforms to simplify building approvals and encourage vertical urban growth, the real estate industry says procedural bottlenecks continue to delay projects and impact timely delivery of homes.
Over the past few months, the government has relaxed Occupancy Certificate (OC) norms by exempting residential buildings on plots of up to 1,200 sq ft from mandatory OCs for electricity connections. The exemption was later extended to plots measuring up to 2,400 sq ft, provided they have approved building plans and comply with prescribed regulations. The state has also introduced system-driven online approvals aimed at reducing delays in sanctioning building plans.
However, developers say these measures have not fully resolved persistent delays, particularly for larger residential and commercial projects.
The Karnataka chapter of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI) has approached Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, seeking urgent intervention to address approval delays that continue to affect projects across the state.
Bhaskar T. Nagendrappa, President of CREDAI Karnataka, said the Karnataka Town Planning Act requires Local Planning Authority (LPA) meetings to be held every month to clear pending applications. However, these meetings are often delayed by several months in cities such as Ballari and Mysuru, resulting in project sanctions being held up.
“The ministers have assured us that the issues will be considered positively and asked us to submit a detailed representation. We will be submitting it next week,” he said.
According to developers, delays in obtaining e-khatas, conflicting regulations, irregular planning authority meetings and slow issuance of Occupancy Certificates have disrupted project schedules, strained cash flows and weakened investor confidence.
Builders also highlighted delays in obtaining no-objection certificates (NOCs) and approvals from agencies such as the Fire and Emergency Services Department, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, utility providers and civil aviation authorities. They urged the government to introduce fixed timelines for approvals, simplify procedures and improve coordination among departments.
Developers maintained that enforcement should focus on curbing illegal constructions rather than creating procedural hurdles for compliant projects. They said a transparent, predictable and time-bound approval system would benefit developers, homebuyers and the state’s expanding urban infrastructure.
Builders’ concern
A Bengaluru-based developer said the transition of development approvals from the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), coupled with frequent changes to building bylaws, has significantly delayed sanctions.
“Six of my projects in Jakkur, Electronics City and Sarjapur Road have been pending for nearly six months. Earlier, approvals would take between 15 days and two months. Now, repeated redraws and resubmissions have become unavoidable,” the developer said.
