Developers should provide better quality of homes, says Khattar

The Chief Minister was speaking at the concluding session of the two-day Urban Development Conclave in Gurgaon on Saturday.

Khattar also said it was the duty of the developer to provide better quality houses as people have an emotional attachment to their house.

“Though construction work is a business for developers, but for the families who reside in the buildings and make them their home, they have an emotional connect with them. The government is taking steps in a systematic manner to provide housing for all and in this endeavour, a special department for housing has been formed,” he said.

The Chief Minister’s remarks come in the aftermath of the incident earlier this month at Chintels Paradiso society in Gurgaon, where two residents had died after a portion of a sixth-floor apartment collapsed all the way to the first floor. The builder of the project has been booked and a structural safety audit has been ordered for the society and five other high rises in the city.

Khattar said that the ‘Samadhan Se Vikas Policy,’ which has been formulated for granting relief to developers in payment of external development charges (EDC), is being extended for six months to encourage all defaulting developers to opt for the policy.

“These regulations serve to regulate the structural stability requirements during construction, at the time of grant of occupation certificate and post-occupation certificate. These regulations shall help establish a transparent and reliable mechanism for ensuring the structural stability of multi-storey buildings,” he said.

Khattar added that the government decided to allocate Rs 1,000 crore in the coming budget for supplementing the urban infrastructure investment requirements in the state this year.

He further announced that Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) Panchuka should propose a policy for handing over projects upon completion to RWAs, in a period of 30 days.

He added that RERA, Panchkula, should propose a policy for resolution of stressed assets within the framework of the RERA Act and the Urban Areas Act, 1975, in a period of 30 days.

Khattar said the fire department has committed to extending the validity of fire no-objection certificates (NOC) for residential projects to five years and for non-residential projects to three years.

“Further, they have committed to issue a new procedure for regular audit by RWAs post-handover,” he said.

The CM also said all efforts were being made to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine.

“It is a matter of great concern. We are in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs, which is coordinating efforts to rescue and airlift people from countries bordering Ukraine. A control room has been set up in Chandigarh and all efforts are being made for their safe return,” he said.