Now, turn illegal commercial buildings in Haryana legal by paying fee

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 7

The Khattar government’s “sop opera” for urban voters ahead of the parliamentary and Assembly elections continues unabated with the state government unveiling a bonanza for the owners of illegal commercial buildings across the state.

In a decision that would benefit thousands of illegal constructions in the municipal limits of the state, the Haryana Government has fixed new regularisation rates for “one time” regularisation of these buildings.

The new rates for Gurugram will be Rs 7,662 per square yard and for Faridabad Rs 6,896. For other municipal corporations — Panchkula, Sonepat, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Hisar, Yamunanagar — the rates have been fixed at 6,090 per square yard. The rate for the municipal councils has been pegged at Rs 5,304 per square yard while for municipal committees, the residents would have to shell Rs 4,658 per square yard.

Sources said through the new decision, the Haryana Government had tried to provide relief to three types of buildings under the “unauthorised” category. First, buildings constructed as per norms of the Haryana Building Code for which permission from the municipality had not been taken. Second, buildings for which permission from municipality was taken but construction was not done as per the approved building plans (beyond compoundable limits). And third, the buildings for which permission from municipality was not taken and the construction done beyond the compoundable limits.

In 2016, the Khattar government came out with a similar policy but on account of “exorbitant charges”, the scheme failed to take off.