Punjab Cabinet approves amendment to Punjab Abadi Deh Act

Chandigarh, Dec 20 (PTI) The Punjab Cabinet on Saturday cleared amendments to the Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights) Act, 2021, to reduce the time limit for filing objections and appeals under the 'Mera Ghar Mere Naam' scheme.

The Cabinet in its meeting under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann gave consent to amend provisions to reduce the period for disposal of appeals from 60 days to 30 days, an official spokesperson said.

The Cabinet gave consent to amend Section 11 of the Punjab Abadi Deh (Record of Rights) Act, 2021, to replace the specific time periods with "within time notified by the government," in order to reduce the period for filing objections and their disposal from the existing 90 and 60 days, respectively, to 30 days each.

This step will further accelerate the resolution of objections and appeals, benefiting the public significantly.

The 'Mera Ghar Mera Naam' scheme aims to bestow property rights to people who are living in houses that are situated within the Lal Dora of villages and cities. 'Lal Dora' refers to land that is part of the village 'abadi' (habitation) and is used for non-agricultural purposes only.

In another decision, the cabinet approved an amendment to the Industrial and Business Development Policy (IBDP) 2022, which replaces the requirement to provide a bank guarantee (BG) for availing fiscal incentives.

The decision follows numerous representations from industry associations highlighting that the existing bank guarantee requirements were blocking substantial amounts of working capital.

This liquidity crunch was identified as a major hurdle, limiting the funds available for industrial expansion, research and development, and job creation.

The amendment will be applicable from the effective date of the policy, which is October 17, 2022.

The cabinet also gave a go-ahead to the redistribution of 253 acres of land of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant in Bathinda to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A piece of 10 acres will be used for battery energy storage system installation, 10 acres for a new bus stand shall be retained by the Bathinda development authority, and 20 acres shall be retained by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for residential and commercial purposes.

The cabinet also gave its concurrence to amend Rule 3 and 16 (1) of the Punjab Management and Transfer of Municipal Properties Rules, 2021, for the modification of the payment schedule for high-value properties, defined herein as "Chunk Sites," to be sold or transferred by the Municipalities and urban local bodies.

This will enhance investment, competitive bidding and attract significant investments in urban development. Further, it shall increase market competition by significantly increasing the pool of eligible bidders and intensifying competition during the bidding process. PTI CHS MR MR