- MP Sharma says meeting of public representatives should be convened
Bhopal: A proposal has been put forward to increase the collector guideline rates by an average of 18% at 1,283 locations in the capital city of Bhopal. Claims and objections will be accepted until the evening of March 19, with the new property guidelines set to take effect on April 1. Protests against this proposal have already begun.
MP Alok Sharma previously opposed the second (revised) guideline of the year in November 2024, which suggested increases of up to 200% at various locations. Following his discussions with Deputy CM Jagdish Devda, the Bhopal guidelines were put on hold. However, a new set of guidelines has now been proposed, which is also facing resistance.
Sharma stated that while there are indeed proposals to adjust rates based on the needs of many locations, it is essential to find a solution that provides relief to the common people while ensuring the government does not suffer a loss in revenue. He suggested that a meeting should be convened with ministers, MPs, MLAs, mayors, corporation chairmen, district panchayat chairmen, and other public representatives to discuss the new guidelines before implementation.
Land use of property has remained unchanged: CREDAI
Manoj Meek, President of CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India), emphasized that the land use of property in Bhopal has remained unchanged for the past 20 years, yet the guideline rate and property valuation are altered annually. He criticized the lack of a scientific method to determine actual property prices, suggesting that many points in the proposed changes are based on guesswork. Meek noted that the announcement of new infrastructure in the unplanned capital is contributing to an undesirable increase in land prices.
He pointed out that in the last decade, the circle rate in Bhopal has increased significantly compared to Indore, leading to instability in the property market. This has resulted in decreased investment in Bhopal and skyrocketing property prices, making homeownership a big challenge for lower and middle-class families. An increase in circle rates directly leads to higher property taxes, adversely affecting the common people.
Meek called on the state government to revert the guideline rates to pre-COVID levels, arguing that this would be in the public’s best interest. He also advocated for a stable lock-in period of three years for the guideline rates. Objections to the new proposed guidelines are currently being registered; however, the complete set of guidelines has not yet been made available.
The current proposal seeks to raise guideline rates at 1,283 locations within the city, marking an average increase of 18%, the highest in three years. Notably, rates have doubled or more at approximately 100 locations. Residents can submit their objections and suggestions at the Collector’s Office, Senior District Registrar Office, Pari Bazar, and ISBT Office until 5 PM on March 19.
