Relief for thika tenancy applicants in Kolkata
KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Friday rolled out a thika land policy that aims to simplify the ownership status and facilitate construction of buildings on such land.
Spelling out the advantages of the new policy, mayor Firhad Hakim said from now, the KMC thika cell will offer a legal heirship title to heirs of tenants of thika land who have died within 15 days of the application for the same. Going a step further, KMC will give a lessee title to any tenant of the thika land who applies with proper documents. According to a KMC official, once a tenant of a thika land acquires a lessee status, s/he will be allowed to build a home without restrictions on height of the building.
Currently, KMC puts a bar on the height of a building on thika land. “If a tenant of a thika land wants a lessee status s/he may apply to our thika cell at the headquarters with proper documents in favour of his/her claim as a tenant. We will scrutinize the applications and forward them to a higher bench comprising senior state officials, including the chief secretary. They will take a call on approving the lessee status to the applicants,” said a KMC official.
Even if a tenant of a thika land doesn’t want a lessee status and wants to build a house on the site, KMC will sanction a building plan to be submitted by thika tenants or their legal heirs within a fortnight, depending on proper submission of documents of ownership.
Hakim said the civic body will offer such services from its headquarters so that applicants don’t have to rush to different state agencies and get harassed. “We have set up a thika land cell at the KMC headquarters where the tenants can turn up and avail of the facilities at a single-window counter,” said Hakim. According to a source, the civic body’s thika cell has been processing 5,000 applications for a “thika return” certificate that will establish the tenants’ rights as lawful occupiers. On Friday, Hakim handed over leasehold certificates to two tenants of thika land.
The buildings department has been asked to coordinate with the thika cell at the civic headquarters to fasten the process of delivering a hassle-free building permit to thika tenants. “We are in talks with the thika cell and will extend all possible support to the thika tenants as far as construction of buildings is concerned,” said a buildings department official.
