South Delhi civic body to regularise illegal constructions in shops at fixed rate

NEW DELHI: In a one-time offer, South Delhi Municipal Corporation will regularise the
unauthorised constructions done by shops in many markets at a fixed charge and make the
property freehold for them.
This will generate good revenue for the civic body and allow shopkeepers to have a clear title of
the commercial property that will reduce their unnecessary harassment, said officials.
The corporation has decided to levy 50% of the conversion charge at circle rate, Rs 5,00,000 for
each division and amalgamation of shops along with an affidavit that they will either remove the
unauthorised construction or get it regularised from the department, as a one-time opportunity
for the shopkeepers to convert the property from leasehold to freehold.
Over whether this move will promote unauthorised construction, SDMC mayor Mukesh
Suryan said: “The person did construction without permission, we are penalising them, and this
is just a one-time opportunity. The proposal was pending for a long time, it will ease the process
for the shopkeepers to get their properties converted to freehold. This will not promote
unauthorised construction as it is our market and we are giving them permission in a one-time
offer”.
Earlier, the corporation had come up with a proposal to give relaxations to the shopkeepers to
sell their properties. But it did not provide the desired results.
“Despite above relaxations, it has been observed that lessees are not coming forward for
conversion of their property from leasehold to freehold. Huge rates of the damage or misuse
charges and determination period for damage charges may be the main reasons,” said Gyanesh
Bharti, SDMC commissioner, in a letter.
In 2006, the Land and Development Office transferred markets to the unified municipal
corporation with an aim that the corporation will act as a licensor in respect of commercial
shops. At present, SDMC is the competent authority in 44 markets in south Delhi.
In 2018, the south corporation came up with a proposal that damage charges on account of
unauthorised construction in commercial land use of leasehold shops transferred from the Land
and Development Office be charged only after the removal of the encroachment within six
months.
As per the rules of leasehold property, “the allottee shall not make any alteration in the
transferred premises either externally or internally without obtaining the permission of the
government in writing”.
“The purpose of this policy is to ease the process of conversion to freehold and to generate
revenue,” said Prem Shankar Jha, director, land and estate department, SDMC.