Gov, Mann on same page on innovation, improving education landscape

He was addressing a conference at Punjab Raj Bhawan. The event was attended by Vice Chancellors, Directors and representatives from state universities. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was also present and addressed the event.

Mann said the efforts being made by the institutions to elevate educational standards are commendable. They play a crucial role in shaping the future of our youth and identifying talent for our country, said Mann.

“The government is consistently striving to enhance the educational landscape, ensuring quality education, employment and self-employment opportunities for the students of Punjab. We are fully committed to making the educational institutions of Punjab world-class,” Mann later posted on X.

The chief minister said that the state government is mulling to introduce Artificial Intelligence in four departments Agriculture, Education, Finance and Policing for better results. He said that Punjabis are blessed with an indomitable spirit to work hard and excel due to which they have carved a mark in every field around the world. Mann also termed the Governor as a bridge between the Centre and the state

Pending Bill

The interaction between Mann and Kataria came at a tiem when government is awaiting the Governor’s assent to Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Governor is yet to clear the Bill that does away with requirement of No Objection Certificate (NOC) for registration of sale deeds of properties, even as he approved another Bill on reservation in the panchayats ahead of the rural polls in the state.

A government official said that it was unclear whether the CM spoke to the Governor about the Bill, but added that they were together on the stage and “their body language was positive.”

The Bill was passed by Vidhan Sabha on September 3 during the monsoon session and aims to address the long-standing issues associated with unauthorised developments and offers a more straightforward approach for legalising property ownership.

It pertains to housing development department of the state. If the Bill is notified as an Act, houses constructed in plots up to 500 square yards would not need an NOC for registration of sale deeds of properties. It will pave the way for the property owners in unathorised colonies to get the sale deeds of the properties registered. Earlier, sale deeds of houses/plots in unauthorised colonies were not registered.

Government sources said the Bill is meant for benefitting the people of the state who were not able to get basic amenities in illegal colonies. “We are waiting for Governor’s assent. People have already started queuing up at our offices to get the registration of properties done,” said an official.

After the amendment Bill was passed, some concerns were raised that this would not only legalise many unauthorised colonies but also put a financial burden on the government to provide basic amenities in those colonies which was otherwise the responsibility of the coloniser.

The Bill provides that any house owner, who has executed a sale deed or entered into a power of attorney for a piece of land up to 500 square yards on or before July 31, 2024, will be able to get his sale deed registered till November 2.

The amendment was a long pending demand of the residents of the state. The issue was specially raised before CM Mann during the recent Lok Sabha elections. The condition of NOC was imposed by the PAPRA Act, 1995. Every house owner had to seek NOC from the authority concerned. For instance, all departments that provide basic amenities which included NOC from power department for installing power meter, NOC from MC for getting sewerage and water facilities and so on. Punjab has been plagued by mushrooming of illegal colonies with at least 14,000 such colonies across the state. The AAP government has been working on doing away with the NOC ever since it came to power, but it’s yet to bear fruit.