Karnataka Assembly passes 3 Bills amid Opposition protest

The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed three Bills, including the Bangalore Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which cuts by up to 
50 per cent the fee for regularising properties in BDA-notified areas.

The other two Bills passed by the Assembly were the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

All three Bills were passed amid protests by the BJP and JD(S), which demanded the resignation of Minister N Nagendra over corruption allegations against him.
Piloting the Bangalore Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, for consideration by the House, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said several residential layouts had been formed through the BDA.

“Although land for these layouts was acquired several years ago, some unauthorised layouts and properties have since come up on the acquired land. We are currently unable to remove the residents from these properties, but at the same time, they are unable to obtain proper legal documents for their properties,” he said.

The land had come under the control of the BDA, preventing residents from obtaining khata certificates and completing property documentation, he said.
“We need to provide relief to these people and enable them to obtain permanent documentation and full ownership rights over their properties. With this objective, we had previously introduced amendments and provided certain concessions. Now, we have brought another significant amendment to further reduce the applicable rates and charges by 50 per cent,” Gowda said.

According to estimates, around 1,11,560 unauthorised houses have been constructed on land acquired by the BDA, he said.
Earlier, sites measuring 20x30 ft were subject to a charge equivalent to 10 per cent of the guidance value. The amendment reduces this to 5 per cent, 
Gowda said.

Similarly, for sites measuring more than 20x30 ft and up to 30x40 ft, the charge has been reduced from 25 per cent to 12.5 per cent of the guidance value. For sites measuring more than 30x40 ft and up to 40x60 ft, it has been reduced from 40 per cent to 20 per cent.

For sites measuring more than 40x60 ft and up to 50x80 ft, the charge has been reduced from 50 per cent to 25 per cent of the guidance value, he said.

“Thus, we are providing substantial relief to these people and, at the same time, enabling them to obtain permanent documentation and complete ownership rights over their properties. This is a people-oriented amendment that we have brought forward,” he added.

The amendment also empowers the BDA Commissioner to approve works costing up to Rs 5 crore at his level, Gowda said.
“This is a people-friendly decision that will provide a 50 per cent reduction in charges to families living in approximately 1,11,560 houses, while also allowing them to obtain permanent property documents,” he added.

    The Assembly passed the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
    Explaining the Bill, Gowda said the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Heritage Area Development Authority Act, 2018, needed to be amended to appoint the revenue minister or deputy chief minister as its vice-chairperson.

    The amendment provides for the ministers in charge of Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru South districts to be members of the authority, along with experts on Kempegowda’s legacy as non-official members, he said.
    The Assembly passed the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which provides for levying a penalty for failure to complete development of layouts approved from 2005 onwards and before the commencement of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act, 2015.

    Piloting the Bill in the House, Gowda said the penalty would be fixed at 3 per cent of the guidance value of plots in the layout that are to be released by the planning authority for each year from the commencement of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Amendment) Act, 2026, until completion of the development works. PTI