Jharkhand's urban development department takes steps to regularise illegal buildings

The state urban development and housing department in Jharkhand recently held a meeting with stakeholders to discuss a scheme for the one-time regularisation of “illegal” buildings located in municipal corporation areas. The department had announced a draft of the scheme in November of the previous year, called the ‘Scheme for regularisation of unauthorised residential construction-2022’. The aim of this scheme is to regularise both residential and non-residential buildings that have been built without proper approvals or in deviation of approved building plans, against a one-time payment.

The scheme is not designed to generate revenue for the state exchequer but is intended to provide relief to those whose buildings have been classified as illegal due to a lack of proper approvals or in deviation of the same. The government plans to streamline urban areas and incorporate genuine suggestions for the larger interest of the public. Ranchi MP Sanjay Seth stressed on the need to simplify and make the entire process transparent, suggesting that the chain of compliance processes should be cut down to encourage people to get their plans approved easily.

Many buildings have been built in deviation of plans due to red tape at the level of municipal corporations. To apply for approval of a building plan, several documents related to the land where the building is located, such as land settlement survey records, are required. However, many may not possess these archaic documents but have been paying regular holding taxes to the government for ages. Therefore, it has been suggested that the practice of taking a submission of self-declaration of the said land being litigation-free should be introduced.

Regularising illegal buildings can have numerous benefits. It can lead to increased revenue for the government as people will have to pay a one-time fee for regularisation. It can also provide relief to those who have invested their hard-earned money in illegal constructions, and now can make their investments legitimate. Furthermore, regularisation can provide an opportunity for the government to streamline urban areas and incorporate genuine suggestions for the larger interest of the public.

However, it is important to ensure that regularisation does not lead to an increase in illegal constructions. To avoid this, the government should take steps to simplify the process of obtaining building approvals and cut down on red tape. This can encourage people to get their plans approved easily and discourage them from building illegally.

In conclusion, regularising illegal buildings can have several benefits, but it is important to ensure that the process is transparent, simplified, and does not encourage illegal constructions. The government must take steps to streamline urban areas and incorporate genuine suggestions for the larger interest of the public.

Next (Ludhiana civic body struggles to recover rent, to start sealing drive)

Jharkhand's urban development department takes steps to regularise illegal buildings

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