Patna, Sept. 5: Individuals can evade the wrath of the Bihar State Housing Board (BSHB) for using residential plots for commercial purposes for a premium. Societies cannot.

The housing board today decided to regularise the allotment of plots at Aniket and Adarsh co-operative housing societies if the errant plot owners requested for the same paying the difference between the commercial and the residential value of the plots. But it approved its earlier order of cancellation of plot allotment to the housing societies.

The board chairman and the principal secretary of state urban development department, Shashi Shekhar Sharma, took the decisions.

A BSHB source said: “The board approved its earlier order of cancellation of allotment of plots to the housing societies but decided that the allotment to individual plot owners may be regularised upon request from the offending plot owners along with payment of differential amount of the commercial and residential values of their plots on pro-rata basis. This means the allotment made to the society would remain cancelled but the individual allotment may be regularised by fixation of individual liability. Further, the board would be working out the estimation of differential amount to be paid by the violating allottees.”

Earlier, BSHB on June 15 had cancelled the allotment of 25 plots at Aniket Society (86.58 cottahs) at Sri Krishna Nagar. The same day, it had cancelled the allotment of 45 plots at Adarsh Society (3.29 acres), also at Sri Krishna Nagar. The decision was taken after the societies failed to reply to the showcause notices seeking explanation on the alleged commercial use of residential premises.

Both the housing societies had approached the minister of urban development department, Prem Kumar, on July 12, who gave a status quo directive on the cancellation of allotment and subsequent eviction of the allotees.

Sources said the board today approved development of several residential and commercial projects. It put its seal on a residential colony comprising 1,500 flats at Bahadurpur. The proposal for development of a commercial mall at Lohiyanagar also got approval.

The board approved similar projects at Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and Chhapra.