Govt's new rule: Big boon for building owners in Kerala

Even trivial violations could inflict dreadful consequences in Kerala. Many building owners have weathered this over time. Often such violations are regularized by the government.

It would be deemed best to figure out the defects to prevent code violations at the construction stage itself. However, the sector is so soaked in corruption that the officials always turn a blind eye to the violation of norms. New rules have now come into force that will help regularize buildings that do not comply with the three-meter distance from roads. Buildings up to 100 square meters have been exempted from the application fee. Earlier it was exclusive for buildings up to 60 sq.m.

The application fee for this has also been unified in municipalities and panchayats. The application should be made to the secretaries.

Hitherto, many builders have been used to violating the rules due to space limitations. However, with the introduction of the new rule, these people can heave a sigh of relief. Considering the land price and per capita land availability in the state, there has been a steep rise in people building houses on a minimum amount of land.

Those who have to construct buildings near notified roads always fall into the trap of regulations. The authorities will come with a notice of violation when the owners have started life in their new building. It will be the worst-case predicament for anyone who has spent a fortune building up their dream house, only to be stopped by the authorities at an ill-judged time.

With the new rule that buildings of any size can be regularized by paying a fixed fee, the government also hope that the income of local bodies will see better days.

Some buildings won’t have the luxury to avail the benefits of the new rule. One of them is the buildings coming up in the areas included in the urban development projects. Buildings in areas covered by the Paddy Field-Wetland Conservation Act are also exempted. But buildings constructed on or before November 7, 2019, will get the benefit of regularization.

For all these years, people were scared to proceed with house construction for fear of the stringent building rules. Concessions would have only been approved if the officials were paid enough through bribes or if maintained any good camaraderie with concerned authorities. All others would have had to bear the brunt of the condescending nature of the officials.

The relaxation of the rules on the issue of distance limits will be a boon to many. But the applications for this should be looked at without getting bogged down on the officials' desks.

The Paddy Field Protection Act was amended and steps were taken to regularize a certain amount of paddy field land only to drag out more people out from their looming concerns. But the overwhelming number of applications and the sloth-paced movement from the government have now put many people in distress.

The appointment of special officers has not yet paid the results as many applications remain unanswered. Applications for the regularization of buildings should not be piled up like this. The district-level regularization committee has to decide on the applications. Aggrieved persons can file an appeal at the state level.

The authorities need to come up with a mechanism to dispose of applications as quickly as possible without inconveniencing people.