Himachal passes bill to check real estate violations

The Himachal Pradesh assembly on Wednesday passed a bill to amend the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act of 1977 to check violations in real estate with penal provisions.

But it was silent on a decision that would enable the regularisation of over 20,000 illegal constructions in the state.

Urban Development Minister Sudhir Sharma said the proposed amendments would empower special area development authorities to levy certain charges on the lines of the local civic bodies on the builders so as to make themselves self-sustainable.

Replying to objections raised by BJP's Suresh Bhardwaj and Himachal Lokhit Party's Maheshwar Singh, the minister said the state government would soon come out with a new legislation to regularise unauthorised constructions.

He said the government was taking legal opinion on the recommendations given by the assembly's select committee on regularising constructions.

Official sources told IANS that the government in August last year brought an ordinance, the Himachal Pradesh Town and Country Planning Act of 1977 (amendment) Ordinance 2014, which would enable the violators to pay prescribed fees to get the buildings, both commercial and residential, regularised.

But fearing a backlash, the government withdrew the ordinance a month later. The ordinance suffered certain legal inadequacies as well.

To discourage unauthorised construction of colonies by promoters or builders, the Town and Country Planning (amendment) Bill of 2015 has penal provisions.

The minister said all colonisers developing colonies over 5,000 sq metre shall be required to reserve minimum 10 percent houses or plots for the economically weaker sections and low income groups and 15 percent for bona fide residents of the state.

He said the promoters constructing luxurious villas or apartments should have option of paying shelter fee in lieu of reservation to bona fide residents.

The shelter fee would be used to provide affordable housing to economically weaker sections and low income groups.