Karnataka to notify RERA rules by month end

The Karnataka government is ready to publish the final rules for the Karnataka Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act - more commonly known as Rera -- by this month-end.

Housing minister M Krishnappa said: "We are almost ready with the final rules, except for some changes which have to be approved by the cabinet. We may discuss it at the next meeting and ensure the final rules are notified by the month-end." A senior official added: "The cabinet has to decide whether or not under-construction residential projects which have not received completion certificates prior to the commencement of the Act, should be included under the final rules. Other than that, there will be no dilution of the Act from our side. We are working towards implementing Rera from July 1, 2017." Under the Act, developers of ongoing projects which have not received completion certificates prior to the its commencement, will need to apply to the regulatory authority for registration of their projects within three months of it kicking in. Whether such ongoing projects get covered under the Act will, however, depend entirely on the final rules, which home buyers have been waiting for with bated breath. Senior BJP leader S Suresh Kumar said the government is deliberately delaying implementation of Rera to facilitate "fly-by-night operators" under pressure from certain section of developers. "Though the housing department is ready with the rules, the government has deferred it because Rera is home buyer friendly." He said he would raise the issue in the assembly, probably on Monday, to seek clarity on the Congress government stand and demand that Rera needs to be implemented in letter and spirit by Karnataka. Apprehensive about the dilution and delay, Fight for RERA, a group of home buyers fighting for the implementation of Rera in Karnataka, has written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, pointing to the inordinate delay by the government in taking a decision on implementation of the Act. "The state government published the draft rules in October 2016, seeking comments and suggestions from stakeholders. Even after eight months, no decision has been taken on implementing Rera," said M S Shankar, convener of the Rera committee, Karnataka chapter. The delay in taking the decision is affecting buyers, especially after it's been learnt that some ministers and influential people are manipulating the government, by diluting the Rera Act in Karnataka, removing under-construction projects from its purview. "Rera was conceived by the UPA government and we hope you won't keep watching your child grow handicapped in the Congress-ruled state," Shankar wrote.