Why focus on Gurgaon alone, asks CM

Ravi S Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, December 6 Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department on Saturday to chart out growth plans, especially in terms of infrastructural development, in a manner that ensured holistic and balanced growth.

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 6

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department on Saturday to chart out growth plans, especially in terms of infrastructural development, in a manner that ensured holistic and balanced growth.

Khattar gave the directive during a meeting of officers of the TCP Department and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). He convened it for a policy review. P Raghvendra Rao, Principal Secretary of the TCP Department, and Brijendra Singh, Chief Administrator of HUDA, were present.

Khattar expressed anguish over “lopsided” development. He wondered why the state had been focusing on growth and development only in Gurgaon.

“Why have Mahendragarh, Sirsa, Jind, Bhiwani and other such areas not been the loci of growth and urbanisation?” he asked. “The government’s thrust must be on balanced growth so that no area is left behind,” he said.

Referring to change of land use (CLU), he said there must be transparency while sanctioning it. He said names of applicants and details of property must be publicisedbefore considering applications.

Khattar asked the department to devise schemes to provide affordable houses so that the maximum number of people could benefit.

He referred to high-end residential accommodation remaining unoccupied for several years in areas like Gurgaon. This would ensure welfare and democratic utilisation of land resource, he added.

In a separate development, a delegation of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) called on Khattar and submitted a memorandum, urging relaxation of rules with regard to the housing sector. CREDAI requested increase in floor area ratio (FAR) and density.

Justifying the demand, it said increase in FAR would increase revenue and reduce the cost of several necessities like fuel cost and travel time. It would help in more planned development, less unauthorised development and fewer violations in bylaws.

CREDAI’s demands included speedy construction of the Dwarka expressway, rationalisation of value added tax policy and simplification of the process for environmental clearance.