NIT proposes approvals to 500 plots who have paid charges to NMC

The Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) administration has proposed to sanction building plans, issue regularization letter (RL) and give other approvals to those who have paid charges to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). But continuing with its tussle with NMC, NIT is not ready to give up Rs125 crore recovered by the civic body from these plot owners.

The NIT board of trustees will take final decision in this regard in a meeting on October 4.

TOI on September 14 had reported that the NIT is not ready to sanction building plans, issue RL and give other approvals to the over 500 plot owners.

The state government on August 27, 2019, had removed powers of NIT and made the NMC sole planning authority of the city. The NMC had sanctioned buildings plans, issued RLs and given other approvals in the areas transferred from the NIT.

On April 9 this year, the government reinstated NIT’s powers. In over 500 cases, the NMC had taken charges while the process to sanction building plan, issue RL and other approvals was pending.

The NMC had to transfer all the cases to NIT. Though people had paid charges to NMC, NIT is again demanding charges from the plot owners.

Now, the NIT administration has proposed to verify charges paid to the NMC by asking for copy of receipts etc. The NIT will then sanction building plan, issue RL and give other approvals like amalgamation of plots, division of plots, mutations etc in case norms have been followed.

At the same time, the NIT administration has said it will incur financial loss of Rs125 crore. “NIT wrote to the NMC on August 10 asking it to transfer charges recovered from the plot owners. But the NMC did nothing and did not respond positively,” said NIT in the proposal which also stated that the civic agency will adjust the amount in case it owes dues towards the NMC.

The NIT’s plan not to give up the revenue of Rs125 crore will continue the dispute going on between the two agencies.

NMC standing committee chairman Prakash Bhoyar, who is also a NIT trustee, told TOI that welcomed the NIT administration’s decision to sanction building plan, issue RL and give other approvals after verifying the charges with the NMC. “The NMC has recovered charges after verifying all details. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the NIT to do the needful. The NIT should give up demand for Rs 125 crore as there is no question of liability on the civic body,” he said.

Sources told TOI that guardian minister Nitin Raut and president of City Congress Committee Vikas Thakre, also trustee in NIT, want NIT to recover Rs 125 crore from the NMC. The two leaders were instrumental in restoring powers of NIT.