President gives assent to Gujarat bill for redevelopment of 25-year-old apartments

President Ram Nath Kovind has given his assent to a bill which will facilitate redevelopment of 25-year-old group housing societies in Gujarat with the consent of 75 per cent residents, instead of all, officials said on Sunday.

The Gujarat Ownership Flats (Amendment) Bill 2018 was enacted by the Gujarat Assembly in September 2018 and it was subsequently sent to the President for his assent.

The President has given his assent to the Gujarat bill recently, a Home Ministry official said.

According to the legislation, apartments which were built 25 years ago or earlier can be redeveloped with the consent of 75 per cent of the owners.

Till now, redevelopment of any group housing society in the state required consent of all residents, which had led to conflicts in many apartments.

As many apartments in Gujarat are more than 25 years old and require redevelopment, the new legislation will accelerate such activities, the official said.

Last year, the President gave his assent to a similar bill enacted by the Maharashtra Assembly to smoothen the process of reconstructing dilapidated buildings or a complex of buildings in land-starved Mumbai.

The Maharashtra Apartment Ownership (Amendment) Bill was aimed at facilitating reconstruction of old and dilapidated buildings, especially in Mumbai, by allowing "majority consent of the owners instead of unanimous consent".

There are hundreds of buildings in Mumbai which could not be redeveloped as not all the flat owners gave their consent, leading to fears of collapse and other problems.

According to the Maharashtra legislation, the consent of 51 per cent of the residents will be required for reconstruction or repair of old buildings.

Some state bills require presidential assent.