Punjab passes Bill to register dwellings sans NOC in unauthorised colonies

[email protected]
The Punjab assembly on Tuesday witnessed heated exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches over the issue of unauthorised colonies in the state.
Chief minister Bhagwant Mann and leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa traded barbs as the state assembly passed the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which aims to do away with the practice of seeking no objection certificate (NOC) for the registration of plots up to 500 square yards in the unauthorised colonies in the state.
As per the amendment, the owners of these properties, who have signed an agreement to sell or have transacted the value of the property in a legal way latest by July 31, 2024, are eligible to get their properties registered for which now they do not require NOC as was in the practice before.
By government estimates, there are 14,000 unauthorised colonies in the state but the exact number of the dwelling units and their sizes is not known. According to the Bill, if any person or promoter or his agent registered under this Act fails to comply with the relevant provision of the law, he/she shall be punished with imprisonment for a minimum term of five years which may extend to 10 years and with minimum fine of ₹25 lakh, which may extend to ₹5 crore.
Mann-Bajwa trade barbs
Winding up the discussion on the Bill on the second day of the assembly session, CM Mann said this amendment aims to ensure stringent control over the illegal colonies, besides giving relief to small plot holders.
The discussion led to a spat between the treasury benches and LoP Bajwa.
The house witnessed unruly scenes when the CM alleged that LoP also might own such a colony amid Cabinet minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal’s allegations that several illegal colonies have mushroomed on Mannawala road in Amritsar and the majority are owned by politicians belonging to the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal.
Replying to the allegations, Bajwa said that in the past six months, the government functionaries have indulged in lots of underhand dealings. Bajwa’s comments saw treasury bench members, including cabinet minister Chetan Singh Joramajra, jumping into the well of the House.
Taking part in the discussion AAP MLA Kulwant Singh, who himself is a real estate developer, said that 95% of colonies in the state are unauthorised and neighbouring states like Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh don’t have this problem.
“These unauthorized colonies have converted Punjab into a concrete slum because the previous government had not dealt with the issue with sincerity,” he added.
SAD’s Manpreet Singh Ayali demanded clarity on persons owning over 500 square yards of plots.
Finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the people would no longer be burdened by the cumbersome NOC process for the small plots. He added that the PAPRA Act, enacted in 1995, aimed to prevent unauthorised colonies, but the Congress and SAD-BJP led previous governments’ failures led to widespread illegal colonies without basic amenities.
“The amendment will ensure that people can access basic necessities without hassle. This move is expected to generate revenue for the state exchequer, enabling the government to upgrade infrastructure in these colonies”, Cheema added.
Plots being regularised not colonies: Govt
Concluding the discussion CM said that to check the mushrooming of illegal colonies the AAP government has already implemented colour coding of stamp papers. “We have mandated red colour stamp papers for residential colonies and green for industrial projects so as to make it clear that no industry is allowed in residential zones.
Cabinet minister Aman Arora who previously held the charge as a housing minister said that dwelling units (up to 500 square yards) have been regularised but not the colonies. “This doesn’t mean that one can sell vacant plots in these colonies and for that, they will have to follow the government policy,” Arora added.