Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Lakhs of citizens are staying in 118 layouts (colonies) which are due for regularisation under the Gunthewari Act. However, the withdrawal of concessions in the regularisation process by the state government has impacted the response, since the last year. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) under the leadership of G Sreekanth, however, is trying its best to regularise maximum properties, but owing to financial reasons, the effort is not yielding the expected results.
Maharashtra Gunthewari Developments (Regulation, Upgradation and Control) Act 2001 was amended in 2021 and implemented in August 2021. The open plot or the house purchased or built before December 2020 from 118 illegal localities (having a population of 4 lakh citizens) was declared eligible for regularisation under the Gunthewari Act. Indeed, the amendment rekindled hope amongst property-holders to legalise their properties as huge concessions were offered till the deadline of May 2023. Later on, it was extended till April 31, 2024, and now further extended till October 31, 2024.
For regularising an open plot, the property holder has to submit any one paper out of the documents like a registry, 7/12 document, bond, or society allotment letter. If the regularisation is of house, then he/she has to submit an old electricity bill. The documentation includes different maps that have to be prepared by empanelled 50 architects and engineers.
The file is submitted offline to the Zone Office, which then forwards it for technical scrutiny and verification to the Gunthewari Cell. The junior engineers and other technical teams conduct spot inspections to verify the measurements, type of construction, etc, and then clear the file. The junior engineer verifies whether the applicant's property (plot/house) exists in the notified No Development Zone (NDZ); land categorised under Class II (Varg 2); or land reserved for development purposes (including green belt); wakf property etc. After this verification, the engineers of the Gunthewari Cell clears the file.
Regularise your properties
The additional municipal commissioner Ranjeet Patil said, “ The CSMC commissioner G Sreekanth is trying his best to regularise maximum illegally built properties and bring them on record. Hence the deadline has been extended till October 2024. He believes that the regularisation will help the CSMC to provide basic amenities in a planned way. The municipal corporation is already facing a financial crisis. We do not have money to contribute our shares to various government schemes. There are 3 lakh registered properties in the city and around 2 lakh unregistered properties in Gunthewari Areas. The property tax and water tax are our sole sources of revenue. Hence the citizens should come forward in large numbers and get their properties regularised as it will help the corporation to provide basic amenities.”
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Rs 17 crore revenue in 2024-25
According to Gunthewari Cell sources, "The section received 1200 applications in 2024-25. Out of it, 840 files have been approved and the civic administration got a revenue of Rs 17 crore (till July 2024). After the amendment, from 2021- 2024 (till July), the Gunthewari Cell received 11,800 applications, out of which, 10,800 files got approved and the cell collected a revenue of Rs 173 crore. There were many files which were rejected owing to technical reasons.”
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Who can regularise?
Earlier, the regularisation was done of plots of size from 600 to 1500 square feet, but from March 2024, the plot size has been extended to 2000 square feet. Earlier, the CSMC offered a 50 percent concession on betterment charges, Gunthewari charges, etc. From last year, the government withdrew all the concessions. It is offering a 50 pc concession in Betterment Charges only, but the Gunthewari Charges are 100 pc. The charges are levied as per the ready reckoner rate (RRR).
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Former standing committee chairman and veteran Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Raju Vaidya said, “ A couple of years ago, due to concessions, there was a tremendous response and the municipal corporation got crores of rupees. We are strongly pursuing the demand for continuing the concessions in regularisation charges so that large numbers of property-holders are hesitating to legalise their properties due to financial burden. I will recommend conducting Gunthewari camps in the city. I am also demanding to issue property cards to the registered owners of the Gunthewari Areas."