Punjab Govt to take legal opinion before regularising plots in unauthorised colonies

Chandigarh, June 6

Before tweaking the policy for regularisation of plots in unauthorised colonies, the Punjab Government has decided to refer the matter to Advocate General (AG).

With the AAP government contemplating to hold Municipal Corporation elections in September, the ruling dispensation is keen to amend the policy on illegal colonies by regularising plots constructed up to December 31, 2022, subject to condition that the sale agreement has been executed before March 19, 2018.

Eyeing civic bodies’ elections

With the AAP government planning to hold the MC elections in September, it is keen on amending the policy on illegal colonies by regularising plots constructed up to December 31, 2022, subject to the condition that the sale agreement has been executed before March 19, 2018

At a meeting by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday, officials referred to a court case in connection with the draft of the proposed amendments circulated among different departments. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, besides other ministers.

A senior government functionary said legal vetting of amendments addressing various concerns was to be done. The proposed amendments also entail recovery of regularisation charges from individual plot holders in colonies where 25 per cent of plots have been sold, besides initiation of legal proceedings against defaulting colonisers and recovery of dues from them.

Officially, there are around 14,000 illegal colonies in the state. The senior functionary said due to multiple issues, many cases of regularisation of plots and colonies were rejected. He said, “If amendments are approved by the government, such cases may be reopened.”

Sources said there were many cases in which sale agreements of such colonies were executed before March 19, 2018, but their physical existence could not be verified from Google images.

Such colonies and individual plot holders could be considered for regularisation after a physical verification that certified that the property existed before December 31, 2022.

In cases where a provisional regularisation certificate has been issued for a set of plots and the registry of the adjoining plot has also been done, it has been proposed that the final regularisation certificate be issued against the plot that does not have a provisional regularisation certificate subject to the payment of charges equal to the stamp duty by the beneficiary over and above the regularisation and development charges.

For unauthorised colonies falling in industrial and agricultural zones under the master plan of towns, it has been proposed that only those colonies may be considered for regularisation where the sale agreement has been executed before March 19, 2018, and which physically existed before December 31, 2022.

It has also been proposed that the plot size to be considered for regularisation should be fixed at 45 sq yards instead of 60 sq yards as per the Centre norms for EWS houses.