ONETIME SETTLEMENT LIKELY FOR ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTIONS WITHIN MUNICIPAL LIMITS
CHANDIGARH: The state government is planning to offer a one-time settlement for buildings that are partially violating municipal building bylaws. With this, lakhs of buildings across the state are likely to get regularised.
The offer will be applicable to non-compoundable violations in buildings constructed in partial contravention of the building bylaws in municipal areas.
Properties have been divided into two categories of residential and non-residential for this.
A senior official of the department of local government said, “People will be able to regularise their buildings on the ‘as is where is’ basis. Regularisation will be permissible for the 50% of the sanctioned covered area.”
The official added that people will have to apply for regularisation of the building within a month of the notification of the policy. Another two months will be provided for completing all paper works and conditions.
According to the proposed offer, the regularisation will be done only if the building meets the required safety standards. No regularisation will be done unless parking space is provided. The applicant will be permitted to show alternate parking space nearby.
The state’s policy will apply to most constructions, except for structures constructed in violation of the designated land use (for instance, if a commercial property is constructed in a designated residential zone it will not be regularised), or any other act like the National Highways Act. Encroachments will also be excluded from the purview of the regularisation, said the official.
LUDHIANA, AMRITSAR AND JALANDHAR MCS STAND TO GAIN AS THEY HAVE THE MAXIMUM VIOLATIONS
THE PROBLEM
There are many unauthorised buildings in municipal areas across the state wherein building plans have not been approved. Most of these violations are non-compoundable, preventing regularisation of buildings under the existing provisions.
Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amristar municipalities stand to gain most as the largest number of violations is recorded in these cities.