by THO
The handover of apartments in several high-rise projects in North Bengaluru’s Jakkur area has been delayed for the past two years due to a no-objection certificate from the flying training school nearby not coming through.
A recent Karnataka RERA (KRERA) order accessed by HT.com mentioned that a lack of NOC from the Government Flying Training School in the area has led to more than six months of delay in handing over a project by Provident Housing.
The developer waited almost 13 months for the NOC before obtaining an occupancy certificate. It got relief only after the Karnataka High Court intervened and directed the state to issue a NOC in four weeks. Other listed developers who have projects in the area are said to have faced similar issues.
Jakkur – a bustling real estate market in north Bengaluru
Located just 23 km from the international airport, Jakkur is one of the bustling real estate localities in north Bengaluru. Local brokers say the airport’s proximity and connectivity to other parts of north Bengaluru, such as Hebbal (7 km) and Hennur (7.6 km), have helped in price growth over the years.
“Today, we see affordable 2BHK apartments for sale for ₹60 lakh in several parts of Jakkur. However, we also have premium high-end apartments selling in the area for ₹1.5 crore or more,” Kiran Kumar of Hanu Reddy Realty said.
However, the government’s flying school delaying the issuance of an NOC has pushed up handover timelines.
Take the case of homebuyer Amit Kumar, who bought an apartment in Provident Neora for ₹54 lakh with a completion date of September 2023. However, six months after the handover date, Kumar filed a complaint at Karnataka RERA seeking delay compensation.
The developer, Provident Housing, told KRERA that it had completed the project way before the timeline; however, a delay in NOC from the Government Flying Training School, Jakkur Aerodrome, was pending.
“The project has been completed, and an application for occupancy certificate has been submitted to Bengaluru’s local municipal body, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, in March 2023, before the handover date. However, BBMP refused to OC until the NOC from the flying school has been obtained,” the developer told KRERA.
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Part of a larger problem
Amar Mysore, president of Credai, said Bengaluru is different from several other cities in the country because, depending on the location, real estate developers have to obtain NOC from three airports—BIAL, HAL airport, and Yelahanka Airforce Station.
In some cases, a fourth NOC is required if the project falls within a radius of 2.7 km from the Jakkur Aerodrome. “Many developers in the city have been facing issues getting BBMP sanctions and occupation certificates for over a year due to height clearance issues from Jakkur Aerodrome. In this case, the height restriction is 45 metres close to the flying school,” he added.
Other listed developers who spoke to HT.com said their projects in the area have been facing delays due to a similar problem.
Provident Housing told KRERA that the flying school did not issue NOC despite submitting over five applications over the last 13 months. “We have filed a writ petition at Karnataka High Court asking the court to direct the flying school to issue the NOC. The court noted that a 13-month delay is not a reasonable time and ordered the flying school to issue NOC within four weeks of the order,” the developer said.
After the High Court intervention, the school issued an NOC, and the project was handed over in March 2024. Based on the documents provided by the developer, KRERA concluded the situation as force majeure, an event or circumstance that prevents a developer from fulfilling their obligations under a contract and disposed of the complaint.
The way forward
Mysore added that Jakkur is one of the real estate growth corridors in north Bengaluru.
“Our team from CREDAI Bengaluru recently met with Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Additional Chief Secretary Manjunath Prasad IAS and proposed that it is time to consider relocating this aerodrome to a less densely populated area. Given that extensive training and recreational flying activities are taking place in a heavily populated part of the city, moving the aerodrome to the outskirts would be prudent and ideal as it would mitigate any potential threat to the safety of the residents in the event of an accident,” he added.
Mysore said the state government has promised to help in resolving the issue.
CREDAI has also approached Karnataka State Remote Sensing Application Centre (KSRAC), requesting they conduct an aeronautical survey to aid in processing the applications and standardise the building heights of new projects within a radius of 2.7 km from the edge of the Jakkur Aerodrome runway.
HT.com has emailed queries to the Government Flying Training School in Jakkur. If they respond, the story will be updated.
According to a report last year by the Deccan Herald, BBMP officials were quoted as saying that the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports, which runs Bengaluru’s only dedicated general aviation field at Jakkur, is actively engaged in discussions and awaiting the completion of the survey of the residential buildings in the area.
