New rules put occupancy certificate within reach of Pune citizens

Citizens who are paying three times the property tax due to lack of occupation certificate can now heave a sigh of relief as the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has simplified the rules, making it easier to get the certificate.

Former leader of the house in the PMC, Nilesh Nikam, told media persons that property owners in the city who did not have occupation certificate had to pay additional property tax. For example, if the property tax for a flat is Rs10,000 then the owner had to pay tax of Rs30,000 in the absence of occupation certificate.

Nikam said the PMC had some months ago made it possible for individual flat owners to get the occupation certificate themselves if the builder had not procured it. But it was difficult for to gather a number of documents to get the certificate.

Nikam had requested the building development department to simplify the rules. Now, the department has done away with the no objection certificates (NOCs) from the water supply and drainage departments. Thus, the property owners would be required to get only NOCs of the fire department and also regarding the lift if required. "It will be easier to get occupation certificate due to the new rules," he said. He said there are thousands of cases where citizens are living in flats before getting the occupation certificate. All such property holders would benefit.