Building regularisation scheme may be extended till end of June
VIJAYAWADA: The applications for the Building Penalisation Scheme (BPS), 2019, a programme to regularise unauthorised buildings constructed sans requisite permits and those in deviation from the sanctioned plan, is likely to be extended till June end.
Even though an official announcement is yet to be made, an official concerned said that public can file their applications online as the server is continuing to accept them even after the deadline set in the past. While the last date, as per the government order released in January 4, ended on April 4, the official explained that a file recommending extension of the scheme was sent to the government. “Since the model code of conduct is in effect because of the polls, there has not been any formal announcement. But, it was proposed to extend the programme by another two to three months. Our website (bps.ap.gov.in) is accepting new applications even now and interested candidates can use the services,” a senior official from Municipal Administration Department explained.
The official further noted that BPS usually is announced for six months’ time, during which people can regularise the unauthorised structures and deviations in their buildings by paying a penalty to the respective Urban Local Body (ULB) or gram panchayats.” The BPS was announced in 2007 and 2015 in the past and we accepted applications for six months. So, this time too, it is expected to be extended till the end of June,” the official observed.
Another reason for the extension of the scheme is said to be the lesser-than-expected response so far. “Since this was an election year, the response wasn’t as much as we expected. In Vijayawada, there are just about 1,000 applications. So, this could be another reason for the extension,” another official from VMC said.