AHMEDABAD: Around 20 plots in Town Planning Scheme 152/G in Shilaj have a special place for civic body officials. For unknown reasons, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) town planning department has given VIP treatment to some of the plots in this TP scheme. Overlooking the Gujarat Town Planning Act, 1976 rule of minimum deduction of 40% of the total original plot size, the civic body has entirely exempted some plots from land deduction in this TP scheme, while in some plots the civic body has deducted land ranging from 0.66% to 20% of the plot size. There are 164 plots in this TP scheme but the rules have been overlooked for around 20 plots in the scheme.
Due to this, the average land deduction in this TP scheme stands at 36.14% against 40% as prescribed in the act. Sources said that due to this special treatment, the civic body and the state government suffered stamp duty revenues amounting to crores of rupees.
Sources in the civic body said that the proposal of drafting this TP scheme that covers 65.17 hectares of land was made on January 25 this year. After inviting objections from original land owners in this proposed TP scheme, the town planning department had charted a final draft.
Around 10 days ago, the civic body approved this TP scheme draft and sent it to the state government for approval.
In the draft, the civic body had proposed to exempt plots from land deduction that measured less than 500 sq metres. However, the department reduced this to 250 sq metres. The civic body also decided to reduce the minimum land deduction norm in some plots on condition that when the property goes to redevelopment, land will be deducted as per rules which is 40%. It was also decided that the the civic body will later decide how much to charge from the plot owners that have been exempted from land deduction.
Sources said that in some of the plots there was already construction and the buildings were in use also. The civic body has not termed these constructions as illegal.
Sources say that this was the first time the civic body made changes in norms in the city.
Questions are being raised as to why these relaxations were made especially for TP scheme 152/G in Shilaj and whether the civic body will extend the same relaxations to other TP schemes or not.
