AUDA begins impact fee recovery, residents protest

Despite a large scale protests from residents, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA) has begun recovery of impact fee from residents of those buildings which have not been builr according to the original building plans.

Close to 90 per cent of all constructions in the fast growing and posh AUDA areas re illegal and need to be regularised by charging of an impact fee.

According to AUDA officials, notices have been issued to all the 1.10 lakh units in AUDA areas where irregularities exist.

Based on the extent of irregularities in construction, each unit will be required to pay between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000 to get the buildings regularised.

Translated into revenue collection, the urban development authority will earn between Rs 66 crore and 88 crore through the exercise. However, AUDA chairman Surendra Patel said that earning revenue is not the intention behind the exercise.

Patel said, "Our aim is not collection of impact fee, but to regularise the illegal constructions that have been constructed before November 22, 2000, so that no problem or hassles will arise in the future. This will pave the way for more development activities and will help modern urban benefits reach more residents."

Stating that around 90 per cent of buildings are without a BU (building use) permission and cannot get water, drainage and other connections legally, the chairman said that the attempt is to regularise these as soon as possible, even as the development authority is working on an ambitious water supply project that will help AUDA areas get piped drinking water through the Narmada canal. Patel termed the residents' agitation a political stunt.

AUDA chief executive Bharat Raval said that while notices have been issued to all the 1.10 lakh units, people have already begun coming forward to regularise their structures.

But residents are still resentful of the impact fee notices, and have formed the AUDA Vistaar Nagarik Hith Rakshak Samiti to oppose the move.

The main contention of the residents is that the builders (who have since given the buildings' possession to respective residents) carried out the irregularities while AUDA turned a blind eye.

The residents claim that while they have paid for the houses, the builders should be asked to pay up the impact fee for regularisation.

The state government had to come up with the regularisation bill as a large number of buildings in Ahmedabad had irregularities in the construction.

According to the new bill, illegal structures constructed before 22 November, 2000 can be regularised by paying the fee, while those constructed after that will have to be demolished.