Pune: PMRDA Launches Amnesty Scheme to Ease Regularization of Gunthewari Houses. Check details
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The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has introduced an Amnesty Scheme to streamline the regularization of houses under the Gunthewari Act. This initiative follows the state government’s approval for a reduction in regularization fees, offering significant financial relief to residents.
The scheme provides a 50% discount on regularization fees for proposals submitted by May 31, 2025. It applies to properties within the PMRDA’s jurisdiction, which includes 23 villages. This move is expected to benefit thousands of residents seeking to regularize their homes.
Previously, the state government had extended the deadline for regularizing houses built before 2001, now including those constructed up to December 31, 2020, under the Gunthewari Act. However, the high fees associated with the regularization process, based on the Unified Development Control (UDC) Rules and Ready Reckoner rates, discouraged many residents from moving forward.
Civic rights groups, including activist Sudhir Kulkarni, have long pushed for fee reductions, arguing that the costs were prohibitive. In response, the state’s Urban Development Department granted PMRDA permission to set its own rates within state guidelines in October 2021. PMRDA subsequently proposed a reduction in regularization fees for Gunthewari houses.
The proposal was approved in a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Despite this initial fee reduction, residents continued to seek further relief, prompting PMRDA to introduce the current Amnesty Scheme, which slashes fees by an additional 50%.
Scheme Structure: For instance, a plot owner who has constructed a 3,000-square-foot building on a 1,000-square-foot plot without prior approval can regularize the property under the Amnesty Scheme. The development fee would be calculated using the Ready Reckoner rate, set at INR 1,000 per square foot. The fee reduction would apply both to the authorized portion of the building and penalties for any excess area, making the process more affordable for residents.
Key Dates and Benefits: The scheme will remain in effect until May 31, 2025. A PMRDA circular confirmed that any proposals submitted during this period will benefit from the 50% discount.
Public Relations Officer Dr. Dnyaneshwar Bhale highlighted the importance of the scheme, emphasizing that it is designed to provide much-needed financial relief to residents within PMRDA’s jurisdiction.
