Timeline over, Working Group of officers yet to submit recommendations to H&UD Deptt

Timeline over, Working Group of officers yet to submit recommendations to H&UD Deptt
Timeline over, Working Group of officers yet to submit recommendations to H&UD Deptt

Review of scheme for levy of land use charges

*Need to develop integrated, simplified mechanism

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Jan 18: Notwithstanding the dire need of developing integrated, transparent and simplified mechanism for levy of charges for land use, a Working Group of officers has failed to meet the timeline for review of the scheme and submission of recommendations to the Housing and Urban Development Department for necessary modifications.

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Vide SO 439 dated December 24, 2021, the Housing and Urban Development Department, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11-A of the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, 1970, notified the scheme for levy of charges for use of land as permitted in the Master Plan or the Zonal Plan.
In the scheme, authority for assessment and levy of charges for land use, rate of charges for change in land use, process for issuance of certificate of change of land use, exemption from payment of charges for change of land use, utilization of the proceeds of the charges for change of land use etc were defined.
During the working of the policy, certain representations were received from different sections of the society as well as Divisional Commissioners of both the provinces suggesting modifications in order to overcome certain flaws, which surfaced during the course of implementation of the scheme. The common concern was regarding formula for computation of land use charges.
In order to review the suggestions/feedback, the Housing and Urban Development Department vide Order No.246-JK(HUD) dated December 10, 2024 constituted a Working Group of officers for furnishing recommendations to make amendments in the policy of levy of land use charges as per Master Plan/Zonal Development Plan.
The Working Group comprising of Commissioners of Jammu and Srinagar Municipal Corporations, Vice-Chairmen of Jammu Development Authority, Srinagar Development Authority and Lakes Conservation and Management Authority, Directors of Urban Local Bodies Jammu/Kashmir, Chief Town Planners of Jammu/Kashmir and Chief Executive Officer of Katra Development Authority was explicitly told to furnish the recommendations to the Housing and Urban Development Department within seven days—by December 17, 2024.
“However, the timeline is over but the Working Group has not submitted its recommendations to the Government as a result of which nobody knows when the much-needed modifications in the scheme will be carried out”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
While there was no response from the Vice-Chairman of Jammu Development Authority, who is the Nodal Officer for the coordination in holding the meeting of the Working Group despite repeated telephonic calls, some other officers in the Working Group confirmed that recommendations have yet not been submitted.
“The issue was discussed in a meeting of the Working Group but suggestions to be made to the Government have not been finalized so far”, they said while wishing anonymity, adding “amendments are required to be conducted as not only certain sections of the society even both the Divisional Commissioners have suggested the same”.
The mandate of the Working Group is to review and analyze the existing framework of land use charges including current rates, calculation methodologies and collection mechanisms across Development Authorities and Municipal Bodies to identify gaps and opportunities for optimization.
Further, the Working Group is supposed to recommend best practices for determining fair market value-based charges across different categories of land use and develop a transparent and simplified methodology for computation of land use charges taking into account factors such as location, purpose, duration of use and market conditions with specific focus on integrating the collection system with building permission fees of Municipal Corporations, Committees and Councils.
Moreover, the Working Group had also been asked to propose an integrated mechanism for collection of land use charges by Development Authorities alongside building permission fees of Municipal bodies including recommendations for common collection windows/platforms, standardized procedures for periodic revision and unified monitoring system for ensuring timely collection and compliance.