Powers of officer clipped, files to go to Local Govt ACS

Rajmeet Singh

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 21

The Additional Chief Secretary, Local Government, has withdrawn the power of the Director of the department to consider technical approval for layout plan of projects under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA) and the Municipal Town Planning (TP) scheme.

The decision was taken citing ambiguity in the instructions regarding the power to consider approvals for change of land use (CLU), layout plans and building plans. The power of technical sanction of layout plans has now been vested with the Additional Chief Secretary. The intra-departmental instructions in this regard became effective from January, revising the seven-year-old rule.

After taking over in December last year, the ACS, Sanjay Kumar, in an intra-departmental letter stated there appeared to be no clear instructions regarding the level of approvals required for layout plans, change of land use and building plans. The officers were asked to submit layout plans for approval to the ACS.

Sanjay Kumar said the orders redefining the power were issued to streamline the functioning of the department. “While the cases for CLU and buildings plans are considered at the government level, the layout plans were being considered at the level of the Director. The same should also come to the government (either Local Bodies Minister or the secretary),” he said.

Similarly, the power to consider layout plans for technical approval under the TP scheme is also with the ACS. Otherwise, the authority to approve the CLU, layout plans and building plans is vested with the Deputy Directors/Commissioner of the respective urban local bodies. “During the SAD-BJP government, instructions were issued that the files would come up to the government. The questionable practice continued till date,” said a government functionary.

Bhupinder Singh had issued an order in December, stating the processing of cases pertaining to building plans and CLU and were being unnecessarily delayed. He had directed that all files be directly sent to him and he would mark these files to officers.

The Director said the orders were regarding the pendency of work and the matter had been resolved.