Cabinet amends Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1955

Chandigarh, March 16, 2015: The Punjab Cabinet today decided to amend the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1955 with an aim at simplifying and facilitating the approval of Change of Land Use (CLU) being granted to developers in the state.

A decision to this effect was taken in the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here at Punjab Bhawan this evening.

Disclosing this here a spokesperson of the Chief Minister's Office said the Cabinet has given green signal to amend section 83 of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1955 to the extent that the condition of validity of two years has been removed to give boost to development process. From now onwards, the permission of CLU once granted would remain valid as per terms and conditions of the approval.

The Cabinet also gave approval to place the Punjab Development of Trade, Commerce and Industries Bill, 2015 in the ongoing session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to create a fund of development of Trade, Commerce and Industry through the levy of non-discriminatory and compensatory tax on the goods imported into Punjab from other states. The fund would be administrated by the Punjab Development of Trade and Commerce and Industry Board constituted as prescribed in the Punjab Development of Trade, Commerce and Industries rules.

The board would be chaired by the Chief Minister with Minister of Industries and Commerce as Vice Chairman besides Excise and Taxation, Finance and Local Government Ministers, Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce and Principal Secretary Finance as its members and Director Industries and Commerce as Member Secretary. The fund would be utilized exclusively for development or facilitating trade, commerce and industry in the state and for other welfare measures for the general public in the local area, which would include; developing industrial estates, focal points and industrial clusters being developed by the government, providing financial aids, grants, incentives and subsidies to financial, industrial and commercial use; creating infra structure for supply of power and water to specify trades, marketing and other commercial complexes; creating, development and maintenance of other infra structure for the furtherance of specified trades; providing financial aids, grants and subsidies for creating, developing and maintaining pollution free environment in the local area; providing financial aids, grants and subsidies to local bodies and government agencies for the purposes specified in aforesaid clauses; providing amenities to the public in local area; implementing social welfare scheme for public in the local area and any other purpose connected with the development of trade, commerce and industry or for facilities relating thereto which the state government may specify by notification.

The Cabinet also gave approval to lay reports of Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) related to the Punjab government for the year 2013-14 on the table in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session.

Likewise, the Cabinet also considered the budgetary proposals for 2015-16 and accorded its approval to the same.