An Explainer: Akrama-Sakrama

The term that now defines a scheme, under which the Karnataka government is giving building law violators a chance to regularise their construction after paying a penalty, is a conjoined term, made of two Sanskrit terms, akarma and sakrama. These words can be literally translated into not working and working, respectively. However, a more suitable meaning in the present context is illegal (akarma) and legal (sakrama) .

The Akrama-Sakrama Scheme of Karnataka came into force on March 23, 2015, and is formally known as the Karnataka Town and Country Planning (Regularisation of unauthorised Developments) Rules, 2013.

Under the scheme, the state will regularise illegal constructions that have violated up to 50 per cent of setback or floor area ratio norms in case of residential buildings. In the case of commercial buildings, the setback limit has been kept at 25 per cent. You will have to pay a penalty for the regularisation depending on the nature and extent of violation. The real estate of a city such as Bengaluru that is notorious for having a large number of illegally constructed buildings, this scheme could act as a game changer. This would, on the one hand, help authorities generate a great amount of revenue without entering into the tiresome demolition process. After regularisation, property owners of such construction will see the value of their possession rising. Overall, this would result into an increased housing supply in the city.

The state recently extended the deadline of the scheme by four months.

Also read

All You Need To Know About Akrama-Sakrama Scheme