Now, no NOC to register property in legal colonies

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 20

Following a public outcry over its move to seek no-objection certificates (NOCs) from local bodies for registering sale deeds of property, the state government has decided to do away with the condition for people buying property in legal colonies/urban settlements.

A decision to do away with the NOCs for all persons registering the sale deeds of their properties was taken today. The heads of all local bodies and local area development authorities were also conveyed the decision by the Revenue Department today.

It was on January 24 that the Punjab Revenue Department had banned all registration of sale deeds of property without the NOC. All deputy commissioners, sub-registrars and joint sub-registrars in the state were asked not to register any sale deeds and transfer deeds of properties in any colony without an NOC.

Though the decision was taken by the government in order to crack down on the illegal colonies, whose regularisation policy is being finalised by the government, it created a public furore. Some MLAs of the ruling party also raised the issue with the government. The already stagnant real estate market saw a minimal registration of sale deeds in the past month, thus hitting the stamp duty collection adversely.

Confirming that the government had exempted registries of properties in legal urban settlements from the NOC, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Revenue, Vini Mahajan, said since the data base of all illegal colonies had been updated now, it was decided to seek NOCs only to check property registration in these 7,300 illegal colonies. “The lists of these 7,300 illegal colonies have been given to all urban local bodies, sub-registrars and joint registrars and area development authorities. Any property sale or transfer in these colonies can now be checked, for all other registration the NOCs should be deemed as obtained,” she said.

Public comments sought for policy

Vini Mahajan said the proposed policy on illegal colonies was now in public domain, and objections/comments from the public had been sought before finalising the policy. “Once the public opinion is received by March 1, the three-member Cabinet sub-committee will meet within a week and finalise the policy before it is put up before the Cabinet for its approval,” she said.