Town and Country Planning Minister Mohinder Singh announced in the state assembly that the Himachal Pradesh government has decided to revoke the Himachal Pradesh Apartments and Property Regulation Act 2005 and replace it by a comprehensive law for urban development and regional planning.
Making a suo moto statement, he said “no registration, essentiality certificate and licenses, are to be issued or renewed under the Apartment Act till such time the new Act is enacted”. The minister said a committee set up by the assembly had also recommended repeal of Apartment Act and incorporation of the recommendations of the committee in the HP Town Planning Act and the Judical Commission on benami transactions, headed by Justice D P Sood had also recommended immediate withdrawal of the Bill.
The Bill was examined and it was felt a “single comprehensive law for urban development and regional planning, which subsumes the objectives of HP Town and Country Planning Act, Apartment Act and HIMUDA Act be enacted. The Act is unlikely to be repealed by the present assembly as fresh elections are due in November and this was the last session of the House. The committee set up by the House had given its report in the monsoon session last year but the government did not repeal the Act for one year inspite assurances given in the House. However, the representatives of real estate sector worried about the reality business as they believe that it would remain dormant for more than a year as this was the last session of the present assembly.
