Property owners in Punjab will receive NOC in 15 days, according to the Minister.

CHANDIGARH: Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Revenue Minister Brahm Shanker Jimpa agreed on Thursday to reduce the time it takes to issue no objection certificates (NOCs) from 21 to 15 working days in order to avoid unnecessary disputes and litigations during property sales and purchases.

Cheema proposed at a meeting here at Punjab Bhawan that NoCs be issued under Tatkal in 5 working days for the convenience of NRIs and others who require it quickly. He stated that under Tatkal, NRIs or those with limited time could obtain this facility in 5 days for an additional fee.

Meanwhile, the two ministers agreed to provide revenue department sub-registrars with login IDs and passwords in order for them to verify the authenticity of the NOC at the time of registration. According to them, this will aid in determining the responsible officer in the event of a forged NOC registration, as well as expediting the process of charging the fraudsters with criminal offenses.

The meeting decided to issue new deed writer licenses for the benefit of the people. It was also requested that every deed writer post the Punjab Government’s instructions on a regular basis for the benefit of property sellers and buyers and that the relevant Tehsildars ensure this by conducting random inspections.

It was also decided during the meeting that a list of all authorized colonies across the state would be published on the websites of the revenue, housing, and local government departments to inform people about the authorized and unauthorized residential colonies.

Cheema directed senior officials from the Revenue, Housing, and Local Government Departments to submit proposals for resolving other issues encountered during the property registration process at the next meeting so that immediate decisions could be made for the convenience of the people and to accelerate the state’s real estate growth.