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Bengaluru's GBA 15% Deviation Proposal: Relief for Lakhs of Homeowners or Push to Legalise Violations?

  • by- Grihik
  • Apr 10, 2026
Bengaluru's municipal body, the Greater Bengaluru Authority, has proposed an amendment to the city's building bye-laws, seeking to raise the permissible construction deviation limit from 5 per cent to 15 per cent. The proposal is currently in the draft stage and open for public consultation.
Bengaluru's GBA 15% Deviation Proposal: Relief for Lakhs of Homeowners or Push to Legalise Violations?

Bengaluru, April 10: The proposal aims to ease compliance challenges faced by lakhs of property owners, offering a potential relief window. However, activists have raised concerns that the move could effectively legitimise widespread building violations.

What Does the Proposal Say?

The proposed amendment to the 2003 bye-laws seeks to increase the permissible deviation limit from 5% to 15% across key parameters, including:

  • Setbacks

  • Floor Area Ratio (FAR)

  • Plot coverage

  • Building height

It also introduces a structured compounding fee mechanism, enabling property owners to regularise deviations by paying penalties and obtain Occupancy Certificates (OCs) that were earlier not permitted.

Why is the Government Proposing This?

The GBA cited ground realities such as soaring land prices and space constraints that have led many property owners to make minor to moderate deviations.

"Due to the high land prices in Bengaluru and various unavoidable reasons, it has been observed that many plot owners have constructed buildings with certain deviations from the sanctioned plan... Under the current rules, only up to 5% deviation can be regularised. However, in most cases, the deviation exceeds 5%," the GBA said.

Benefits for Property Owners

  • More properties may qualify for Occupancy Certificates

  • Reduced legal and utility-related hurdles

  • Access to e-khata registrations (properties with deviations earlier found it difficult)

  • Easier resale of previously non-compliant properties

Satish Mallya, President of Bengaluru Apartment Federation, said the proposed changes are largely aimed at individual properties, particularly standalone houses, where deviations are more common due to space constraints and high land costs.

Concerns and Criticism

Urban planning experts have cautioned that the proposal could end up encouraging further violations rather than curbing them.

Pravalika Sarvadevabhatla, Associate Manager at Jana Urban Space, said: "Raising the permissible deviation from 5% to 15% means that buildings constructed beyond sanctioned plans could retrospectively fall within compliance, without any structural re-certification or infrastructure impact assessment."

She noted that Bengaluru's drainage and infrastructure systems are already under stress, with the 2022 urban floods (causing damages over 4,000 crore) linked to excessive built-up areas and encroachments. "Compounding fees, typically calculated on guidance value, do little to deter developers. For many, it simply becomes a cost of doing business," she added.

Public Consultation

The proposal is open for public consultation. Citizens, developers, and stakeholders can submit objections or suggestions within 30 days (by April 30, 2026) to the respective city corporation offices across Bengaluru.

Parallel with Akrama-Sakrama

Experts drew parallels with Karnataka's earlier Akrama-Sakrama scheme (a one-time regularisation exercise struck down by the Supreme Court in 2017), arguing that the current proposal may become a 'clearance by stealth' for existing and future violations.