Over 260 layouts in city face bleak future due to admn flip-flop on NA
| Date :23-Oct-2020 |
There are several such plots with half constructed buildings, electricity connections, STP, road awaiting the users.
By Vikas Vaidya :
The layouts in Nagpur which were given approval for Non-Agricultural land in 2005 and faced the cancelation in 2008, are still lying without construction. Later on, the related agencies kept saying that the plot-holders can carry out construction but it was never on paper. Against this backdrop, the persons who purchased these plots by paying a good sum, for which some of them took loans, are facing financial issues. Some of them are on the verge of getting bankrupt. Rajaram Powar (name changed), a middle class man purchased a residential plot on Besa Pipla road.
He had to borrow loan from nationalised bank. It was his dream to build a home for his family. Clearance to execute this layout was given by Additional Collector and Competent Authority under Section 20 of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 under the Talegaon Dabhade pattern. Thereafter the Deputy Director (Town Planning), Nagpur recommended this layout for final approval on February 6, 2005. Further on June 2, 2005 Collector issued Non- Agricultural (NA) order.
So it became the duly sanctioned layout and that is why a nationalised bank sanctioned and disbursed the loan for the purchase of said property. On September 6, 2008 the then Collector stayed the NA order for the permissions to 522 such layouts recommended by the then Deputy Director (Town Planning) Archana Parlewar on the grounds that the layouts were sanctioned erroneously flouting existing rules and regulations. The story took the twist when Parlewar was suspended for a short while and was later reinstated. Meanwhile on January 5, 2015 the Urban Development Department directed the Collector to reconsider each case where NA permission was granted and stayed afterwards.
On January 5, 2018 a new development plan was sanctioned and most of these layouts were brought under yellow belt. With the layouts put under yellow belt they did not need NA permission. Shockingly when Powar approached Nagpur Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (NMRDA) for sanction of plan on his plot. He was told by the authority the plot couldn’t be sanctioned as the layout was in the list of disputed layouts sanctioned by Parlewar. To add to the woes of Powar, the bank that cleared his loan started charging penal interest as he couldn’t construct house within the stipulated period. His dream has already shattered. This is one story which ‘The Hitavada’ came to know. But there are several such stories of the aggrieved people waiting for the justice. Collector office in the year 2009 canceled the NA order of 260 layouts. There are 113 layouts which got NA sanctioned and got permission from Town Planning (TP). There are one junk of 139 layouts which got NA order but has not received any order from Town Planning. The plight of Rajaram Powar is different.
His layout is sanctioned, it is under Yellow Belt. It was inspected by the then Nagpur Improvement Trust team and expressed satisfaction over the planning. Despite being all sanctions, now NMRDA says the layout owners should act as per the new rules of Development Control Rules (DCR), according to which the plots are to be curtailed. The builders too are facing the problems as at this juncture they cannot cut the size of the land they have already sold the plots.
The purchaser is not agreeing to pay more to the builders. The builders tried to explain the issue with the Urban Development Department since long. But alas! It was shown the dustbin. Moreover the authority is not coming clear on this layout issue in written. When ‘The Hitavada’ contacted Rajendra Lande, Deputy Director (Planning), he said, “The layout is under yellow belt and people can go ahead with the construction.” But reality is different. Neither Authority is coming up with clear order nor it is allowing people to construct their dream homes. It has brought several plot holders on the verge of bankruptcy.