Amarinder gives nod to notify RERA rules

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today gave the go-ahead for the notification of rules for implementation of RERA in the state.
He ordered a freeze on registration of FIRs in cases relating to unauthorised constructions till the completion of the ongoing review of such colonies.
Chairing a review meeting of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (H and UD) here, the chief minister also ordered priority allocation of housing government sites/flats for senior citizens and women in the reserved categories.
It was also decided that a meeting of the departments of Housing and Urban Development, local bodies and Rural Development would be held under the chairmanship of the chief secretary next week to prepare an action plan for housing for the state's homeless.

The chief minister urged the concerned officials to find a way to provide basic amenities to the people living in unauthorised colonies without encouraging development of more such colonies.
He also asked the Additional Chief Secretary (Housing and Urban Development) to ensure that every developer earmarks five per cent of the total project area for construction of dwelling units for the economically weaker sections of the society, an official spokesperson said.

Giving details of the meeting, the spokesperson said the chief minister gave his nod to the Housing and Urban Development department to frame the rules and regulations for the implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) in the state in order to protect the interests of property buyers against unscrupulous builders.

Captain Amarinder approved the establishment of a regulatory authority for the implementation of the Act, and directed coordinated efforts for the development of the realty sector.
The proposed authority, to consist of a chairperson and at least two members as mandated by the Act, would act as the nodal agency and the state government would soon notify the rules in this regard.
The chief minister will place the memorandum, related to the enforcement of the Act in the state, before the next Cabinet meeting for its approval.
The authority was mandated by the meeting to register real estate projects of 500 square meters and above or eight apartments or more.

The ongoing projects that have not obtained completion certificate prior to May 1, 2017 are required to register within three months.
On the issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies, the chief minister asked the Additional Chief Secretary (H&UD) to prepare a comprehensive action plan in consultation with the chief secretary, so that basic amenities like roads, disposal of sewage and waste, sewerage, drinking water and street lighting could be provided to the residents of colonies that had already been approved.
Captain Amarinder suggested regularisation of such colonies in a planned manner.
He stressed the need to devise a mechanism to ensure balanced development of colonies, both in rural and urban sectors, in a holistic manner instead of focusing only on urban development.