Panchayat rules likely to be amended for buildings

Kolkata: The Panchayat and Rural Development department has proposed to allow residents to construct G+ 4 and G+6 houses.

An amendment in the Panchayat rules will be required for the purpose. The amendment is likely to be placed in the forthcoming session of the Assembly soon. Now, the people living in the panchayat areas are allowed to construct G+2-storeyed buildings.

Senior state government officials said the proposal has been to address the crisis of accommodation in rural areas. The infrastructure of the panchayats will be upgraded and the applicants will get sanction of the plans within 40 days. As the property tax will go up, work is on to determine the property tax structure.

The officials said there are many areas under the panchayats which are situated very close to the cities. The residents are getting all the facilities but because of the existing law are unable to construct buildings above G+2. In North 24 Parganas several areas which were under panchayats have now come under the municipalities.

If the amendment is passed in the Assembly, then major change will take place in the rural and semi-urban areas. Not only more tall buildings will come up, there will be marked upgradation in infrastructure. It may be recalled that in the two-day panchayat conference held in January, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had urged the panchayats to come up with plans and develop the areas.