Punjab Cabinet gives in principle approval to do away with NOC for property registration

Chandigarh, Aug 14 (PTI) The Punjab Cabinet on Wednesday gave in principle approval to do away with the requirement of no objection certificate (NOC) for registration of land and properties.

The decision in this regard was taken by the council of ministers in a meeting chaired here by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said the NOC clause will be done away with, adding further modalities will be worked out.

He said those who have land registries and registered sale agreements up to July 31, 2024 will not require NOC.

An official spokesperson later said the sole aim of this decision is to facilitate the general public as the illegal colonizers dupe people by showing them green pastures and selling them unapproved colonies.

The spokesperson said the hapless people have to then run pillar to post for getting the basic civic amenities in these colonies, adding the state government will safeguard the interests of the common man.

In another decision, the Cabinet gave its nod to the Punjab Fire Safety and Emergency Services Bill, 2024.

After this proposed legislation comes into force, the owners and occupiers of buildings in Punjab will not have to obtain fire safety certificates annually but after every three years.

The cases shall be dealt as per the risk classification of the buildings. This legislation shall have the provision related to insurance of persons against fire risk and others, said the spokesperson.

In another move, the Cabinet gave its approval to reduce motor vehicle tax on registered tourist vehicles in the state.

"As tax was very high compared to the taxes on registered vehicles in the neighbouring states, the registration of such vehicles was low in the state. But this move will reverse the trend, leading to an increase in revenue," said the spokesperson.

The Cabinet also agreed to levy additional road tax on luxury vehicles which is likely to generate additional income of Rs 87.03 crore.

The Cabinet also approved to levy green tax on old transport and non-transport vehicles to check environmental pollution, said the spokesperson.

The Cabinet also accorded green signal to the youth services policy-2024, which is aimed at weaning away the youth from the menace of drugs and channelizing their energy in a positive direction.

The policy will encourage youth towards social welfare activities and improve their skills, besides connecting them with sports, cultural programs and social welfare work, said the spokesperson.

The Cabinet also gave its approval to amend the sports regular cadre service rules by framing 'The Outstanding Sports Persons Service Rules' of the sports department.

The decision has been taken to provide employment opportunities to outstanding sportspersons in the sports department, said the spokesperson.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to tree preservation policy for non-forest government and public lands.

Punjab is an agrarian state with about 83 per cent of its area under agriculture but the total area under forest and tree cover is about 5.92 per cent. The state government has set a target to enhance it to 7.5 per cent by 2030, said the spokesperson.

The Cabinet also gave its approval to launch a project for promoting agro forestry and biodiversity conservation at a cost of Rs 792.88 crore.

The project will help in increasing the area under tree cover through agro forestry in the state, conserve groundwater and increase income of the farmers.

The detailed project report will be prepared by the government of India, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the state forest department. PTI CHS VSD AS AS