The amnesty scheme for residential buildings, as announced by the State government, will be applicable only for those which have come up in violation of the Kerala Municipal Building Rules, and of area less than 1,500 sq.ft.
However, those which had been constructed in violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules would not be considered for the scheme as it was out of the purview of the State government, said Minister for Local Self-Governments K.T. Jaleel.
A large number of buildings had come up in holdings that were reclaimed before 2008, when a data bank on wetlands and paddy fields was drawn up. Those holdings were classified as paddy fields in revenue records, which needed to be rectified, he said.
In case of residential buildings above 1500 sq ft, hefty fines would be slapped for regularising them based on the nature of the violations. The fine would serve as a punishment for the violation. The owners of the buildings could approach the State government with self declarations for the amnesty scheme. However, if found submitting false declarations, an additional fine of 25 per cent would be slapped on the fine amount, he said.
The case of illegally constructed commercial buildings would be dealt with separately and heavy fine would be imposed for its regularisation, he said.
The department would fix a deadline for considering applications for the UA number and regularisation schemes. A comprehensive list would be drawn up regarding the violations and scale of fine that could be slapped. The government did not possess information on the number of buildings that had come up in violation of the rules, he said.
Indicating that the government was not in favour of demolishing the illegally constructed buildings, Mr. Jaleel said the government favoured housing for all.
Moreover, if the illegally constructed buildings were erased, the management of refuses from them would become another hazard, he said.
DLF case
Regarding the Rs.1-crore fine slapped by the High Court of Kerala on DLF builders at Chilavannur for violation of laws, Mr. Jaleel said the government would take a decision on filing an appeal in the case after examining the judgement.
The question whether to file an appeal on the Division Bench’s order could be taken only after obtaining the legal opinion. The department ensured that the contentions of the State government in legal disputes were properly presented in the courts, he said.
