Building misuse penalty: Re-examine recommendation, MHA asks Chandigarh

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 22

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the UT Administration to re-examine the recommendation submitted for revision of penalty charges being imposed for misuse of building bylaws in the city.

During a videoconferencing, the MHA today directed the UT authorities to reconsider the recommendation and then submit a fresh proposal to the Central Government, said an official of the UT Administration.

Pending for years, the Secretary, Estate, UT, had recently written to the MHA to give powers to the UT Administrator to decide on the penalty charges for the misuse of building bylaws.

In a proposal submitted to the MHA nearly two years ago, the UT Administration had recommended to fix the penalty at 0.75 per cent of the minimum collector rate per square yard per month for misuse and violation.

The proposal pertains to amendment to the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952, to reduce the penalty being charged by the Estate Office for misuse and violation of building bylaws.

At present, the Administration is charging a penalty ranging from Rs250 per sq ft to Rs350 per sq ft per month for various types of properties.

The UT had proposed to charge a penalty of 0.75 per cent of the collector rate per sq yard per month applicable in case of misuse/violation of building bylaws in the non-permitted category and 0.50 per cent of the collector rate per sq yard per month applicable in case of misuse/violation of building bylaws beyond the permitted coverage. If the proposal had been accepted by the MHA, the penalty would have been reduced to one-sixth of the current amount.

The Estate Office had increased the penalty for misuse and violation in 2007 from Rs20 to Rs500 per sq ft per month for the area being misused by the occupier under the Estate Office Rules, 2007.

What UT proposed

The UT had proposed to charge a penalty of 0.75 per cent of the collector rate per sq yard per month applicable in case of misuse/violation of building bylaws in the non-permitted category and 0.50 per cent of the collector rate per sq yard per month applicable in case of misuse/violation of building bylaws beyond the permitted coverage.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.