Punjab is indeed a very prosperous and colourful state. Whether you live in Punjab, own a business there, or are just curious about shifts in the region, it is important to keep up with the new guidelines in Punjab. In this post, we will look over the changes across multiple sectors and what they mean more clearly and practically.
Know What the Government Is Doing: From Initiatives to Regulations
Important details of the Notification: In December 2024, the government of Punjab announced its list of Public Holidays for 2025. Only two of these holidays are reserved and employees can take four half-day leaves to attend Nagar Kirtan or Shobha Yatra celebrations.
Property and Land Regulations
Recent changes in property registration procedures: Relief to Property owners
- Easing No-Objection Certificate (NOC) Requirements: To facilitate property registration, the Punjab government has made it easy for the applicants by relaxing the NOC requirements. Property owners who can provide evidence that their sale deed was executed earlier than July 31, 2024, would get a one-time waiver from applying for NOC. The step is meant to help genuine purchasers in unauthorised colonies who have been unable to get NOCs from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and, the Department of Local Government.
- Clarity for Plot Owners: The latest communication allows 90 days for the registration of plots up to 500 square yards in unauthorized colonies without needing an NOC. The same will be applicable for the person having power of attorney, the person having the agreement for sale on stamp paper or any registered document having the title of land till July 31, 2024.
- Conditions for Registration: To qualify for registration without a NOC, The plot to be registered is not in a scheme unauthorized over land falling in restricted areas scheduled roads, national highways or any other area is restricted under central or state law.
- Online Building Plan Approval System (OBPAS): The state government lays emphasis on e-governance and bettering infrastructure in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) through transparency. It is an online portal to submit building plans for approval by architects or citizens. You don’t submit manually. The Enaksha Punjab portal will serve as a single point of service for submitting drawings and documents for sanctioned building plans to 165 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and 27 Improvement Trusts.
Navigating the Enaksha Portal
Fees and Charges: Plot NOC fees in Punjab and other property NOC-related charges can be checked by the applicants on the Enaksha portal. Application for building use comes at a charge of $2.50 for every square foot of the total covered area; and $5.00 in square foot of plot area.
Building Map Approval Fees:
- Category 1: INR 2.50 per sq. ft. of the covered area per floor for residential / Government and government-aided school/ institution/ hospital buildings.
- Category 2: INR 5 per sq. proposed covered area for commercial / industrial / institutional buildings.
- Boundary wall construction: INR 2.50 per running foot for Class 1 buildings, and INR 5 for Class 2 buildings.
Fire Safety Regulations
If you want to build high-rise buildings (greater than 15 meters) for commercial or business purposes, you will need a Punjab Fire NOC from the Department of Fire in Punjab. The same should be applied to public buildings such as hospitals, and religious places with a plot area of more than 500 square meters or a height of more than 6 meters. The Punjab Fire NOC is approved only for 1 year and should be renewed before expiry.
Previous Guidelines and Updates
COVID-19 Related Guidelines: Earlier, the Punjab government had done away with night curfew and Sunday lockdown as coronavirus cases continued to show a downward trend. It is recommended to be aware of the re-imposition of restrictions in Punjab depending on health status.
Other Key Points:
- Reserved Holidays: 2 reserved holidays in 1 year are based on a list of listed holidays according to government employees.
- Nagar Kirtan/Shobha Yatra: 4 half-day leave maximum will be given to the employees.
- Online Building Plan Approval: An all-in-one e-platform for web-based (online) building plan approval, architects & citizens need to submit their building plans on this platform.
The guide aims to help residents and stakeholders navigate the new guidelines in Punjab, with up-to-date information drawn from the Enaksha portal.
