BENGALURU: In a significant development for farmhouse and newly-constructed property owners in rural Karnataka, the government announced on Wednesday that certain types of houses under gram panchayat (GP) limits will be exempt from obtaining an occupancy certificate (OC).
Officials from the rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) department clarified that this exemption pertains to newly-built residential structures on 30×40 sqft plots in rural areas falling under gram panchayat jurisdiction. This change will be implemented immediately.
The RDPR notification indicated, “Residential buildings that consist of a ground floor plus two additional floors (G+2) or stilt plus three floors (Stilt+3), constructed on a 30×40 sqft plot in rural GP areas, will no longer need a mandatory occupancy certificate, irrespective of whether the construction occurred without prior approvals from local authorities.”
Previously, newly-built developments in rural GP regions were required to undergo a detailed inspection process before an OC could be issued. This process involved visits from gram panchayat officials and town planning authorities, as well as the verification of documents from licensed engineers and architects.
However, the government recognized that these procedures added considerable stress to local bodies, many of which are already facing staffing shortages. “The existing requirements delayed file processing and hindered the delivery of essential government services. To alleviate administrative burdens and enhance service efficiency, these regulations were relaxed, allowing residential buildings on 30×40 sqft plots to be exempt from obtaining occupancy certificates,” the order explained.
The lack of an occupancy certificate had posed significant challenges for property owners, as utility providers (Escoms) and local authorities were withholding essential services like electricity, water supply, and drainage connections due to recent Supreme Court directives linking these services to the possession of valid occupancy certificates.
Interestingly, just a few weeks back, the government had extended a similar exemption for newly-constructed properties within the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) jurisdiction, eliminating the mandatory OC requirement.
