Conversion of residential plots for commercial use allowed

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 21

With an eye on next year’s parliamentary and Assembly elections, the Khattar government today allowed conversion of residential plots for commercial use besides allowing the regularisation of existing illegal conversions (from residential to commercial) in urban areas across the state.

The decision, which comes two days after the big win for the BJP in the five municipal corporations elections, is set to benefit thousands of property owners in the rehabilitation colonies, town planning and improvement trust schemes located within municipal limits in the state.

While the proposal had been under active consideration of the Khattar Government for quite some time, the final approval came at a Cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here today.

In fact, the state government bent over backwards to appease its committed urban vote bank by reducing the conversion charges by almost half.

Now, the conversion fee for municipal corporations of Gurugram and Faridabad for regularisation of existing buildings has been reduced from Rs 15,325 per sq m to Rs 7,662 per sq m. For fresh conversion, the rate has been reduced from Rs 14,000 to Rs 7,000 per sq m.

In other municipal corporation areas, the regularisation fee of existing buildings has been reduced from Rs 12,180 to Rs 6,090 and for fresh conversions from Rs 11,000 to Rs 5,500.

In municipal council areas, the charges for regularisation of existing buildings have been reduced from Rs 10,608 to Rs 5,304 and for fresh conversion from Rs 9,000 to Rs 4,500.

In municipal committee areas, the charges for regularisation of existing buildings will be reduced from Rs 9,316 to Rs 4,658 and for fresh conversion, from Rs 8,000 to Rs 4,000.