Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, May 8: To curb the mushrooming of unplanned and haphazard constructions across the state, the Council of Ministers today approved a draft ordinance to regularise all unauthorized constructions, which had come up till March 31, 2018.
‘The Punjab one-time voluntary disclosure and settlement of violations of the Building Ordinance-2018’ was aimed at regularising the constructions in larger public interest, subject to the condition that these buildings fulfill the prescribed fire, parking and safety standards.
The Cabinet felt that since these unauthorized constructions had been coming up for the past several years, it was not feasible to demolish them at this stage, leaving regularisation as the only possible recourse, disclosed an official spokesperson after the meeting of the cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
Giving details, the spokesperson said under the scheme, a person guilty of a non-compoundable building violation may disclose voluntarily such violation, and apply online, along with photographs of the building, within a period of one month to the concerned Competent Authority. The applicant would be required to then submit, within a period of two months, the requisite information/documents/plans and prescribed application fee.
In case the owners of the unauthorized buildings do not apply for settlement of violations or the applicant fails to make structural changes in the building to fulfill the requirements of mandatory changes in the building to fulfill the requirements of mandatory Front setback, fire safety and parking requirements within the prescribed period, the water supply / sewerage connections to the whole building will be disconnected without any further notice followed by sealing and demolition of the building at the cost of the owner.
In another decision, the Council of Ministers approved the proposal of the Local Government Department for amending the validity of Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Fund (PMIDF) Act-2011, to extend it from the current deadline of 2020-21 to 2037-38. The same was required for re-payment of the Rs. 1540 crore HUDCO loan before the last date of August 31, 2037. This step would help the state in uplifting the living standard of the urban population, including the urban poor, besides facilitating urban infrastructure projects.
The Cabinet also authorised the Chief Minister to approve the draft Ordinance in this regard, as prepared and vetted by the Legal Remembrance before it is promulgated by the Governor.
