Draft RMP amendments to ease plot mergers, family sub-division in Bengaluru; real estate to thrive?

Key points

• In a move that could help small builders thrive in Bengaluru while also creating affordable housing for middle-class families, the Karnataka government has proposed amendments to the zonal regulations of the Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2015 for the Greater Bengaluru Area.
• The draft notification issued by the Urban Development Department (UDD) on June 4 introduces new provisions governing family sub-division of plots, amalgamation of A-khata properties, and bifurcation procedures.
• The proposed move is expected to make the Karnataka government’s B-to-A Khata conversion scheme more attractive, while contributing to densification of the city.
• Under one of the proposed amendments, two or more adjoining building sites with A-khata will be eligible for amalgamation, provided the resulting site is contiguous, upon payment of a nominal fee to the corporation.
• This means that two separate sites can be amalgamated into one and become eligible for a single plot approval for construction, effectively enabling the...