Guwahati goes soft on Apartment act

Guwahati, Jul 26 (UNI) The Asom government today amended the Apartment Act giving more teeth to the owners in a bid to protect them from builders/promoters.

The bill was tabled today and the political parties cutting across the party line supported the bill. But they sought to refer it to the select committee.

However, the government initially faced opposition while tabling the bill as teh latter walked out of the house.

Later briefing reporters,Guwahati Development minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sharma said that after discussion with the builders, the amendments have been brought in. The amendments included lowering of the stamp duty to five per cent from existing 22 per cent as well as disputes over the right of the common properties.

Asom did not have any law for apartment and most of them have been violating the rules. The government has already gone soft on the demolition drive as the plans to transform Guwahati, the gateway to northeast, has run into rough weather with party legislators as well as the Opposition and builders advocating a 'humanitarian' approach to the beautification drive.

The demolition drive of all illegal construction in the city, initiated by Guwahati Development Department (GDD) Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma soon after assuming office in May, has come under fire from all quarters.

About 30 buildings have been demolished jointly by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and the Guwahati Municipal Development Authority (GMDA).

More demolitions are to follow as notices have already been served to over 100 buildings, including many major buildings in and around the city.

The Assam Apartments (Construction and Transfer of Ownership) Bill, 2006, has also been introduced in the House in the current Budget session to stop the illegal construction in the name of high-rise apartments.

The Bill proposes, among other steps, to increase the minimum requirement of land for construction of apartments to 4 kathas from the present 3 kathas. However this was not accepted in the final bill.

The GDD minister maintained that this provision would make the builders search for bigger plots of land in the outskirts and this, in turn, would decrease the problems of parking spaces and other related problems.

However, the demolition drive has given rise to a controversy with the ruling party MLAs as well as the Opposition decrying the GMC's efforts.

Guwahati Lok Sabha MP, also a Congress member, Kirip Chaliha had recently protested the demolition of a six-storied building in the city. The intervention of the ruling party MP had forced the officials to stop demolition and had given rise to a bitter verbal duel between Mr. Chaliha and Mr Sharma.

According to Mr Chaliha, the apartments constructed by middle-class people should be spared for minor offences on humanitarian grounds and called for a public consensus regarding the issue of illegal construction and their demolitions.

UNI MT PC SS1819