Property conversion policy approved
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 24
The Chandigarh Administration today approved the policy for converting commercial as well as Industrial property in the city from leasehold to freehold. The UT Administrator, Lieut Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), approved the policy. The same has been forwarded to the Union Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation. Since Chandigarh is directly under the control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), all approvals in such policy matters have to be taken from the Union Government.

In the past 12 months, auctions of commercial property has been carried out on the freehold basis and has attracted good bids.

The Industrial Advisory Committee of the UT Administrator had recommended that commercial and industrial property in the city should be freehold. The committee had suggested that the conversion rates should be at par with those prevailing in residential areas. The rates in residential areas are Rs 1710 per square yard or five times the annual ground rent for the site in question. In this case which ever works out to be more is charged from the applicant.

PUDA removes encroachments
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, February 24
In a day long operation, a team of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority cleared over one acre of prime land skirting Mohali village here of encroachments.

The team lead by the SDO buildings, Mr Ranjit Kumar, removed over 10 illegal structures constructed on this piece of land which is otherwise shown as vacant in the PUDA maps. A part of the land, according to sources, was under cultivation by the original owner of the land who had also taken the acquisition amount from PUDA. The PUDA team has asked the cultivator of the land to remove barbed wire from the periphery so that the land can be cleared of the cultivation. The land vacated is opposite Mohali village on one side and the back of the Ranbaxy factory on the other.

Interview for MC post held
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 24
Three candidates for the post of Commissioner of the municipal corporation were interviewed by the Administrator Lieut-Gen. J.F.R. Jacob (retd.) here, today.

Punjab had earlier sent a three- member panel, comprising of Mrs Raji. P. Srivastava ,a 1991 batch IAS officer, Mr Jaspal Singh and Mr A Venu Prasad of the 1992 and 1991 batch, respectively. One of them will replace the present commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh.