SC order: Kher to work with Chandigarh admn to improve working of estate office

To improve the estate office’s working, the Supreme Court has directed the administration to constitute a committee comprising local MP Kirron Kher, an architect, an advocate who is or had represented UT before the high court; two representatives of the municipal corporation and administration officials

Welcoming the Supreme Court’s order to improve the working of the estate office, Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher on Tuesday said she is in communication with the UT administration for its implementation.

Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher on Tuesday said she is in communication with the UT’s administration for implementation of the Supreme Court’s order to improve the estate office’s working. (HT file)

The SC has directed the administration to constitute a committee comprising the MP, an architect, an advocate who is or had represented UT before the high court; two representatives of the municipal corporation and administration officials to review and streamline the processes of sanction of mutation, grant of occupancy certificate, no-objection certificate and other citizen-centric requirements including calculation of unearned profit under the 1973 or 2007 Rules.

“The committee shall submit its report to the administrator and Chandigarh administration, preferably within three months. We hope that the learned administrator will take appropriate steps to implement the suggestions made by the committee, including forwarding of the proposed amendments in the Statute to the ministry of home affairs, if any, suggested by the committee,” states the SC order.

A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and AS Bopana observed, “The residents of Chandigarh are widely harassed while seeking no-objection certificate for sale of leasehold property, as the procedure for its grant and of deposit of unearned increase is interpreted in different manners by different officials, which the administration has failed to control.”

“Another area of concern is the unreasonable procedure adopted by the administration for affecting mutation after the demise of the leaseholder or the allottee and of completing other formalities at the offices of the appellant. The difficult and near impossible procedure leads to arbitrary and discriminatory action by officials of the estate office,” states the order.

UT adviser Dharam Pal said, “We are examining the order and will initiate action accordingly for its implementation.”