Khattar govt gets tough with builders defaulting on EDC

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 10

With thousands of crores of rupees locked up as external development charges (EDC) from the defaulting colonisers, the Khattar government has finally decided to get tough with these builders across the state.

In fact, to speed up the recovery of the outstanding amount, the Haryana Government has set up a five-member special task force (STF) under the Chief Town Planner.

With realty projects delayed for years together, the recovery of the mandatory EDC had been Achilles' heel of the successive governments in Haryana with the defaulting amount piling up years after year.

Last year, the state government told the Haryana Assembly that a whopping Rs 14,457.54 crore EDC was pending with the defaulting builders.

Concerned at the huge outstanding amount, Director, Town and Country Planning (DTCP) K. Makrand Pandurang suggested tough measures to the STF.

These included revocation of the bank guarantee of the defaulting builders, disposal of defaulters' unsold property and suggesting legal action to recover the dues.

Sources said the state government's tough stance was the offshoot of lukewarm response to the special scheme to recover outstanding EDC from builders announced in 2018. Till last year, the scheme netted around Rs 652 from the defaulting colonisers.