Cabinet okays draft of Bill on illegal colonies

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

The state Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of The Punjab Laws (Special Provisions for Regularisation of Unauthorised Colony) Bill, 2018.

The Bill, which paves the way for the regularisation of over 7,000 illegal colonies in the state, will be presented in the House during the Budget session beginning on Tuesday. The Housing Department has listed around 4,400 such colonies, while the rest are located in areas under the jurisdiction of local bodies.

A draft of the policy was recently submitted by the Cabinet sub-committee, headed by Health Minister Brahm Mohindra. Its other members were Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Bajwa and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Channi.

Channi and another minister’s recommendation on empowering the minister concerned to be the final authority on approving regularisation cases of respective departments was not accepted by the Cabinet. The word “minister” has been replaced with “government”.

A senior government official said all unathorised colonies developed before March 19, 2018, would be regularised, with the regularisation charges paid earlier under the previous policies to be adjusted.

The amount received as charges for the regularisation of a colony will be used for providing basic infrastructure only to that colony. Payment of charges shall be in instalments within one year.

Committees of officers will be constituted to regularise the colonies and plots, and any developer applying for regularisation shall have a Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) in place. The RWA can also submit an application for regularisation to the authority concerned under the provisions of the proposed Bill.

On probation, MBBS docs to get full pay 

The Cabinet decided that MBBS doctors will now get full salary, including all allowances, during probation. The condition of “basic pay only” for newly appointed medical officers in the Health & Family Welfare Department has been done away with. This is in line with the practice being followed in other categories, including PCS (Judicial), assistant teachers/scientists of PAU and specialist doctors.

Ban on hookah bars, act amended

The Cabinet decided to impose a permanent ban on hookah bars in the state instead of issuing temporary orders every two months. An amendment to the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act (COTPA), 2003, was approved. Unauthorised colonies have been categorised as per the built-up area (up to 25 per cent, 25-50 per cent, more than 50 per cent), with a special provision for exceptional colonies having more than 75 per cent built-up area.