In a significant development, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (Auda) has resolved a longstanding issue involving 50 retired senior IAS officers who had converted their residential plots in Sumangalam Society, located on Drive-In Road, into commercial properties without necessary permissions. This violation, which had been ongoing for nearly three decades, had led to a freeze on all property sales in the society.
Auda, which originally allotted the plots to these officers, had struggled to find a solution for years. However, a new policy introduced by Auda now allows the retired officers to pay a transfer fee and legally sell their properties. According to a senior Auda official, “The retired officers can now sell their plots by paying a 10% transfer fee, as per the new policy passed by Auda recently.”
The breakthrough came after a meeting held on December 26 of last year, when Auda’s chairman approved the implementation of this policy in the evaluation of Plot Number 695 in the society, measuring 12,516 square meters in TP Scheme 1/B. The base price for this plot was set at Rs 2.49 lakh per square meter, and permission for sale was granted upon payment of the 10% transfer fee of the total plot value.
The introduction of the transfer fee policy is expected to generate substantial revenue for Auda. It is estimated that Rs 70 to Rs 80 lakh could be generated from just one sub-plot evaluation. The land, which was allotted to the retired IAS officers nearly 30 years ago, covers a total area of 20,494 square meters and was divided into sub-plots of varying sizes.
Auda had initially set a condition that the officers would need Auda’s approval to sell their sub-plots. “The land was provided to Sumangalam Society, and later its office-bearers transferred the sub-plots to various members. Construction plans were approved soon after the allotment,” said another Auda official.
It was also revealed that the evaluation of a particular plot is valid for only three years, with further evaluations to be conducted if there is demand. The resolution of this issue marks the end of a long-standing standoff between the retired officers and Auda, with the new policy paving the way for property transactions in Sumangalam Society once again.
