In a relief for residents in gunthewari layouts who hoped to own house or regularize existing ones, the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) board of trustees have reduced building plan sanction charges by 50%. When implemented from Wednesday, it will be on par with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) rates implemented from January 1.
The board met on Tuesday and also approved the budget for 2023-24. This was the third consecutive budget presented by NIT chairman Manoj Kumar Suryawanshi.
Amid heated discussions, the NIT board approved a surplus budget of `1,203.62 crore. Both, NIT and NMC have to bear 5% share in the `8,680 crore Metro Rail project. To facilitate this, the state government on July 1, 2016 allowed the two planning authorities to double building plan sanction charges.
The NMC did so on January 13, 2021 with retrospective effect from July 1, 2016 and the NIT followed suit a few months later. The charges have been increased from 2% of ready reckoner value of the land to 4% for residential structures and 4% to 8% for commercial buildings.
However, on July 22, 2021, the NMC general body passed a resolution to set aside the hike. Municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B wanted the resolution to be quashed by the state government which, instead, allowed the reduction in charges. In other decisions, the NIT will develop a 90-acre park in Nara to put an end to a tussle between some netas and developers.
A 130 acres land was reserved for the park but the NIT could not acquire large parcels from private parties in 22 years. People owing around 40 acres land reportedly succeeded in a legal battle to delete reservation from their property. They also started selling the land which caused a controversy as some people alleged it was a threat for the proposed park.
The NIT also decided to float an expression of interest (EoI) inviting private players to pay the cost of acquisition of the land and development followed by operation and maintenance of the park.
As reported by TOI on Monday, NIT is not giving its 68,079 sq mt land to the NMC for rehabilitation of projectaffected-persons of Smart City Project. NMC chief Radhakrishnan B reportedly asked the board to take a decision which was objected to by Suryawanshi who said NIT will have to face losses.