Kerala   

Guidelines framed for land surrender

N.J. Nair

Kerala Municipality Building Rules amended

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an attempt to check corrupt practices in granting building plan concessions to those surrendering land free for development purposes, the Local Self-Government Department has amended the Kerala Municipality Building Rules.

Earlier, following complaints on violation of building rules, the Government had suspended the special committees constituted to clear applications at the local bodies level. Specific norms have been laid for surrendering land, using the plot, coverage, floor area ratio, height, parking space and also the constitution and functioning of special committees. The amendments have helped clear the ambiguity in the rules, which in their original format had given room for misuse.

Henceforth, applicants seeking benefits against land surrender should apply in the prescribed form and surrender the land in total. The surrendered land should not be used for purposes other than envisaged.

According to the amended rules, land should be surrendered in compliance with the relinquishment procedure; it has to be demarcated and taken into possession by the authority concerned. Any existing structure in the surrendered land, be it a compound wall or fencing, should be demolished by the owner and the new boundary demarcated. The building permit would be issued only after completing these procedures.

Any construction on the plot from which land has been surrendered should be executed according to provisions of the sanctioned or the published town planning scheme. The maximum coverage and floor area ratio should not exceed 80 per cent for residential, special residential, mercantile or commercial, small industrial and storage occupancy and 60 per cent for assembly, office and industrial occupancy. The coverage has been restricted to 50 per cent for educational, medical and hazardous occupancy.

The mandatory open space from the proposed road boundary to the building would be reduced by the breadth of the land surrendered from that side, subject to a minimum of 3 metres from the boundary of the proposed road. The rules say that parking space shall be reduced in proportion to the percentage of land surrendered to the extent that, after such deductions, a minimum 75 per cent of parking space as per the rules is provided.

The role and functioning of the special committees have also been specified. The Mayor or municipal chairperson would be the chairman of the committee. The chairman of the development authority, senior town planner or town planner of the district office of the Town and Country Planning Department or an officer not below the rank of the deputy town planner, executive engineers of buildings and roads under the Public Works Department and town planner of the development authority would be members of the committee. The municipal secretary would be the convener.

There were complaints that the committees were functioning in an arbitrary manner. In this respect, it has now been directed that the convener should give a week's notice to summon the meeting. Copies of plans pertaining to the applications and agenda notes, including technical reports, should be forwarded to the members along with the notice for the meeting. The committee would accept only those applications that comply with the rules. The convener should also maintain registers for the minutes as well as details of the land surrendered.

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