Karnataka’s real estate sector needs stronger institutional coordination and a more predictable approval framework to reduce delays in project execution, Rakesh Singh (IAS), Chairman, Karnataka RERA, said on Tuesday. He said that while RERA has brought greater discipline and transparency to the sector, gaps between government agencies, regulators and promoters continue to affect the journey from project conception to delivery.
Singh made the remarks while addressing delegates at the ET Realty & Beyond Summit Bengaluru, where policymakers, developers and real estate industry stakeholders discussed the future of Bengaluru’s urban and housing growth.
Singh said real estate remains a sector where trust deficits between stakeholders continue to shape the industry’s operating environment. He noted that disputes and delays often arise because multiple parties — government agencies, promoters, landowners and homebuyers — approach the system with different expectations and levels of confidence.
“Real estate is one spectrum where there are no procedures at all, because you don’t have trust at all,” Singh said, referring to the complex relationship between promoters, allottees, landowners and public authorities.
He said Bengaluru’s housing market has a large share of buyers from outside the state, many of whom come to the city for employment and eventually invest in homes. This, he said, makes transparency and predictable delivery even more important for the city’s real estate ecosystem.
“I think 70 to 80 per cent of the buyers in Bangalore are outsiders,” Singh said, adding that such buyers bring different expectations and depend heavily on institutional trust while booking homes.
Singh acknowledged that RERA has improved discipline in the sector compared to the pre-regulatory period. However, he said significant work remains to be done to make the approval and compliance journey smoother for developers.
“Some discipline, transparency has come, but lots has to be done,” he said.
Pointing to the gap between regulatory authorities, government departments and project promoters, Singh said developers often face difficulty navigating approvals from project conception to delivery. He said the system must identify where delays occur and why they continue to affect project timelines.
To address this, Singh said Karnataka RERA will work with government bodies and industry representatives over the next few weeks to identify procedural bottlenecks and improve coordination.
“We will make an effort in the next eight to 12 weeks, keeping a few of your representatives also in that discussion, on what are the gaps that we have to address,” he said.
He said the focus will include plan approvals, no-objection certificates from various agencies, and other regulatory processes that directly impact project timelines. Singh also referred to discussions with the Civil Aviation Ministry on easing airport-related clearance issues faced by developers in Bengaluru.
“Once the life of a promoter is made a little more hassle-free, the delivery time, the cost time, everything will be put in a better place,” Singh said.
Concluding his address, Singh said Karnataka RERA remains open to feedback from industry stakeholders and will work with government agencies to correct procedural issues where possible. The larger objective, he said, is to create a more efficient real estate environment where regulatory discipline and project delivery can move together.
