Notification issued, yet another sop by Khattar govt ahead of polls

Chandigarh :
In another sop to the city residents ahead of next year’s Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the Khattar Government has allowed regularisation of illegal conversion from residential to commercial in the municipal limits.

Saying that due to demand and market forces the old residential areas were converted into commercial, a notification of the Department of Urban Local Bodies allowed conversion from residential to commercial on the payment of scrutiny fee @Rs 10 per square metre, conversion charges and compounding charges.

“The policy shall not be a blanket regularisation of conversion policy, but a policy under which if applied only then relief be provided. The application for conversion shall be considered only if received within two years from the date of notification,” the notification said.

According to the notification, three types of illegal conversions would be considered under the policy. One, converting use of the plot other than permitted/approved by the government for the planned scheme developed in the core areas. Second, converting use of plot other than permission sought from municipality while approval of the building plans. Lastly, no permission taken from the municipality for constructing building and defining use of plot/building.

The policy cautioned that the conversion of plots was permitted only if the said plot had not been subdivided from the original size or being used for multiple purposes such as residential, commercial and institutional.

Meanwhile, to regularise illegal conversion from residential to commercial, the owners will have to pay external development charges (EDC) for the area of the building on all floors.
“The policy shall be implemented via an online system developed by the department integrated with GIS application in which data pertaining to earlier use and present use of the plots has to be incorporated. The said system will also be integrated with the online building plans approval and scrutiny system,” the notification asserted.

Pay for relief  

The conversion from residential to commercial will be allowed on payment of scrutiny fee @ Rs 10 per square metre, conversion charges and compounding charges.
Owners will have to pay external development charges