No property registration sans NOC: Revenue dept ›

There were already provisions under the PAPRA regarding this. The revenue department order has been issued to harmonise different Acts of the state government VINI MAHAJAN, financial commissioner, revenue

CHANDIGARH: In order to crack down on illegal colonies, the Punjab revenue department has made NOC (no-objection certificate) from a competent authority mandatory for registration of property across the state.

The department issued a notification in this regard on January 24. Asked why the revenue department has issued this notification now, financial commissioner (revenue) Vini Mahajan, said, “There were already provisions under the PAPRA regarding this. The revenue department order has been issued to harmonise different Acts of the state government.”

As per the notification, issued to all deputy commissioners in the state, sub-registrars and joint sub-registrars have been directed not to register sale and transfer deeds of properties in any colony without no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the “competent authority in the housing department”.

The revenue department notification refers to the amendments made in the PAPRA (Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995) which put restrictions on the registration of properties in illegal colonies.

The notification reads, “Department of Housing and Urban Development has amended the section 20 of the Punjab Apartment and Property Act 1995 and in sub-section 3 of the section 20 it has been provided that, “no registrar or sub-registrar appointed under the provisions of the Registration Act, 1908, shall register sale deed or any other document regarding sale of land or plot or building situated in a colony, in respect of which licence has not been obtained from competent authority.”

Following up on the changes in PAPRA, the revenue department notification directs, “Therefore, sub-registrar/joint-registrars shall register sale or transfer deeds of plots or sites only after suitably satisfying themselves that the colony has been issued the licence on the basis of a “No-objection Certificate” issued by competent authority in the housing department. You are, therefore, directed to ensure the compliance of the statutory provision with immediate effect, while registering sale and transfer deeds of plots and sites.”

Asked whether the notification covers only the illegal colonies coming under the department of housing and urban development or it also includes such colonies under the municipal jurisdiction, Mahajan said the ban is intended to cover illegal colonies everywhere across the state.

This includes illegal colonies coming under different urban development authorities and all municipalities in the state.

A senior official in the local government department, who didn’t want to be named, said, “Curbing registration of properties in illegal colonies under the municipal limits is very important as most of the illegal plots are located in the illegal colonies coming under the jurisdiction of these municipalities.”

Government estimates peg the number of illegal colonies around 7,000, but the actual figure might be double than this.

In December last year, chief minister Amarinder Singh set up a five-member cabinet sub-committee to finalise the legislation and policy for regularisation of unauthorised colonies.