Nagpur: In a significant move providing relief to residents of Nagpur, the Maharashtra Government has stayed implementation of new rules relating to renewal and transfer of properties wherein the ground rent was linked to ready reckoner rates.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) had increased the ground rent to 8 percent.
Wenesday Rate
Wed 25 Dec. 2024
According to reports, the issue was raised by the Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis in the Assembly on Friday. In his reply, the Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde said the State Government is contemplating separate ground rent categories as per usage of property and till then stayed the 8 percent rate notified through MaharashtraTransfer and Renewal of Properties Rules ( Municipal Corporation Area). The effect of the stay is that now ground rent will be charged at the rate of 0.02 percent as finalised by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), reports said.
The media reports further said that the Minister also stated that a committee of officials would study the entire issue and recommend the new ground rent after taking into account the prevailing market condition and ensure that it is fair. Due to the whopping rise in rate of ground rent linked to ready reckoner, Shinde mentioned that the policy was finalized by the previous Government, the respective Municipal Corporations could not garner desired revenue as citizens could not afford to pay such a huge amount.
Shinde further said State Government has received several representations to bifurcate properties as per commercial, residential and charity and public for fixing ground rate Now, NMC will charge the ground rate as per old rate but owners would have to submit an assurance that they will pay the difference in case there is upward revision.
The NMC administration had last year issued notices to property owners to pay a new ground rent rate at 8 percent of RR. The issue had figured in the House as then Mayor Sandip Joshi called the GR issued by Urban Development Department (UDD) as draconian. The rise in ground rent was nearly 400 per cent and it had left residents in shock.
According to sources, many of the lands in Congress Nagar and Dhantoli and other areas, were given on long lease in 1912 and 1923. From mid-nineties the lease owners colluded with builders and developers and a multi storeyed complex was constructed in violation of rules. Then officials of Town Planning, NMC, also looked the other way even as brazenly rules were being flouted, said the sources.
Since the lands were on lease the Town Planning Department should have sought No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the Estate Department before sanctioning the building maps. However the very fact was ignored by civic body administration that complicated the matters further and overnight the big plots in Dhantoli vanished and multi storeyed buildings, with many of them having shops flourished.
