With a proposal to earn Rs 45 crore in the process, the city corporation plans to regularise 35,000 unapproved plots this year, bringing some cheer to the residents. The owners will be able to develop their plots despite it meant violating the government rules and norms.
According to corporation’s town planning wing, there are 663 unapproved layouts in the city and 35,000 plots need to be regularized. An official in the town planning wing said, “After getting approval from the local planning authority (LPA), these plots will be regularised by the corporation. Residents will have to remit a sum of Rs 100 per square metre in the government account as regularisation charges and Rs 500 per sq m to the corporation as development charges.”
This is as per the government order issued in October, 2017. For a 2,400 square feet plot, Rs 1,11,524 will have to be paid. The corporation will earn nearly Rs 45 crore as additional revenue from this.
But activists said that this scheme was announced nearly six months ago and that the LPA was yet to speed up the process. “We had submitted our application nearly two months ago. I was told that the corporation officials will come and conduct the survey and give us the details of the amount to be remitted. But we have not received any communication,” said Krishnan, a resident.
K Kathirmathiyon, an activist, said that only the town and country planning authority has the power to regularise plots. “Only the development charges will come to the corporation in this scheme. Once the regularisation process is completed, the corporation has to provide facilities such as street lights, drains, roads and improve the reserve sites which will only be an additional burden,” he said.
Activists urged the civic body to be pro-active and enforce the laws. “Instead of this, the corporation should levy penalty on residents constructing without building plan and violate building norms. Illegal and unauthorized constructions can be identified and owners can be penalized which will provide them with income,” said Kathirmathiyon.
