GDA suggests changes in draft OTS scheme

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has requested the state officials for making certain amendments to the draft of the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme which

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has requested the state officials for making certain amendments to the draft of the one-time settlement (OTS) scheme which has been proposed for compounding (regularisation) of extra constructions. The government has rolled out the draft and invited objections till February 20.

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The authority officials said they held meetings with different stakeholders and have proposed certain changes which they want to be incorporated in the draft to make it more effective and a revenue generator.

“We have proposed that the buildings under the purview of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (Rera) should not be allowed compounding as it will lead to a situation of conflict. Any changes to the buildings need to be taken care of by the Rera. Further, there should be a cutoff date for constructions and this should be specified. Otherwise, it generally happens that people start extra constructions after OTS is announced,” Asheesh Shivpuri, authority’s chief architect & town planner, said.

The draft scheme takes into account extra construction related to setback areas, floor area ratio (FAR), basements, height of building, extra housing units, parking and compounding walls, etc.

“The draft has no provision laid out specifically for plots which are joined for construction of a building. We need specific guidelines for such properties and should be incorporated in the scheme with respect to FAR etc. Further, there are provisions in the draft for certain percentage of regularisation of setback areas. The draft says that illegal constructions cannot be demolished. So, we request that 100% violation should be allowed to be compounded. Otherwise a lot of ambiguity will result,” Shivpuri added.

The officials said the scheme will be highly dependent on self declaration by applicant.

“So we have suggested that in case any information is withheld in the application, a 100% physical check should be allowed. Otherwise, there is a tendency that the applicant may not disclose correct information about extra constructions,” Shivpuri said.

The authority has also proposed allowing commercial activities in residential areas above the ground floor. The officials said since this activity needs a land use change which is only allowed at the government level, it has not been made a part of OTS scheme.

They added that a separate policy will be rolled out in this regard.