Sites for some, refund for rest

BANGALORE: Even if you have given up hopes for a site in the proposed Arkavathy Layout, don’t fret. You may get your deposit back.
The Rs 600-crore deposit blocked by the BDA for site allotment in the proposed layout will be returned to applicants unlikely to get a site. This, if BDA commissioner M.N. Vidyashankar’s proposal for the same is approved by the government.As many as 2.5 lakh people had applied for sites since the project was announced in February 2004.
"Since BDA has a tentative list of 20,000 applicants who are likely to be allotted sites, we have sought government’s approval to return the deposit to the rest," Vidyashankar said.
With nearly 450 petitions in the Karnataka High Court challenging various aspects of BDA’s land acquisition for the proposed layout, several applicants had given up seeking site allotment for their dream houses. BDA officials said they would wait for the high court verdict on January 27 before initiating the allotment process.
"The logic is not to drag refunding of the deposit in case the HC does not give its verdict on January 27. The tentative allottees’ list will give applicants an idea as to who can still keep their deposit blocked with BDA," officials explained.
Hitherto, there was no clear statement on the status of the deposit even as applicants sought their money back from BDA. "Government seems to be making promise after promise. I wanted my deposit of Rs 58,000 months ago, but officials were never there to hear my plea or explain the situation to me. I’m glad the BDA has woken up to our distress now," said Prarthana B., an applicant.
Thousands of applicants had taken loan, borrowed from their provident fund, mortgaged their jewellery and even knocked at the door of moneylenders to pay the deposit.