Transferable development rights (TDR), conceived as an instrument to facilitate smooth land acquisition for development projects, has turned out to be a major scam.
As per the scheme, those losing land for development projects get a TDR certificate in lieu of compensation. The certificate allows them to develop an area of land which is fixed based on the value and extent of property acquired.
The owner has the option to sell the certificate or use it to construct additional floors, using the TDR to increase the floor to area ratio.
Some officials have exploited the loopholes in the scheme with the help of middlemen to make crores of rupees.
For example, TDRs were given to buildings that never existed. In other cases, the TDR was several times more than the total area of the property in question. There were also instances where TDR certificate was given to persons who had no connection to the land acquired by the civic agency. The certificates were also issued for government lands.
Also read: How land grabbing is perpetrated
Probing a scam that came to light in 2019, the Anti Corruption Bureau is investigating 15 officials of the BBMP and 59 other people. Chargesheet has been submitted in three cases and investigation is in progress in seven others. The scam involves TDR certificates worth Rs 150 crore, for land to the extent of 16 lakh sq ft.