Chandigarh, Aug 3 (PTI) Launching a scathing attack on Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini-led government over a "steep hike" in collector rates for property registration, the Congress on Sunday claimed it will shatter the common man's dream of owning a house.

The state government has rejected the claims by some opposition leaders that collector rates have been hiked by more than 130 per cent, terming it misleading.

"According to an estimate, the increase in collector rate will put a burden of Rs 5,000 crore on the people of Haryana annually...the steep hike in collector rates will shatter the common man's dream of owning a house," Congress general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala told a news conference here.

"Land, houses, flats will be expensive," he added, demanding a rollback of the hiked rates.

Collector rate is a minimum value at which the property can be registered in the government records and the registration fee and stamp duty to be paid while buying a property is based on these rates.

The government has asserted the collector rate increase is just 10 per cent in more than 70 per cent of the state.

The Congress leader, however, alleged that a "steep hike" in collector rates from this August has come for the second time within a span of eight months and that too without any dialogue or discussion with the public, which is reflective of the government's dictatorial attitude.

"The BJP had given the slogan of giving everyone their 'pukka makaan' by the year 2022, but now it is putting this burden on common people. The dream of the common man to build his own house is getting shattered," said Surjewala.

"The rates of houses were already beyond the reach of middle class and common employees that they were finding it difficult to even repay the EMI of the banks for house loans. Now their dreams are being shattered by increasing the collector rate. Will the common Haryanvis now have to repay the installment of their house loan for the rest of their lives?" he asked.

Escalating his attack, Surjewala alleged there is a nexus between the government and the builders behind the sudden increase in the collector rate.

The Congress leader also said that the state government had in this year's budget set a target of earning Rs 16,555 crores from "stamp duty and registration fees" as against Rs 14,000 crore in the year 2024-25, adding it was now eyeing to earn a substantial amount from the hiked collector rates.

The hiked collector rates will effectively increase stamp duties on registering sale deeds of immovable properties, he said.

"If an assessment is made in the last five years, the government has increased the collector rate ranging from 50 per cent to 250 per cent in plots, houses, flats, commercial properties, shops, agricultural land," Surjewala claimed.

The burden on common people by hiking collector rates comes at a time when the prices of sand, gravel, bricks, cement, steel and other construction materials have already increased manifold in the last five years.

"The argument being given by the state government that collector rate increase has been done on the demand of farmers so that they can get more compensation is absurd? Hasn't the top court repeatedly ruled that the value of acquired land cannot be assessed on the basis of collector rate?" the Congress leader questioned.

"Are there not stray animals everywhere in Haryana, potholes in the roads, stinking heaps of garbage, sewerage water spread all around and a network of floating roads when it rains? When basic facilities are not available, then why this further buren being put on people by increasing the collector rate," he asked. PTI SUN AS AS

Collector rate increase heightens stamp duty burdens and threatens property affordability for ordinary homebuyers and families. The state's increase in collector rate - the minimum assessed property value that determines stamp duty and registration fees - will raise transaction costs for buyers across residential, commercial and agricultural properties, prompting claims that the adjustments serve revenue targets and developer interests, worsen housing affordability, and were implemented without adequate public consultation.