Chandigarh, Jan. 14 -- In a populist step, the Punjab government on Tuesday extended the amnesty policy for the defaulting allottees of plots auctioned and allotted under various schemes of the housing and urban development department till March 31. Announcing this, housing and urban development minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said the scheme was applicable to those who defaulted on instalments due after December 31, 2013, or failed to complete construction within the prescribed time. Earlier, the council of ministers had approved the extension of Amnesty Policy 2025 for the defaulters from April 1 to June 30, 2025. With the latest decision, the allottees will get a fresh opportunity to apply to seek the relief. The eligible applicants will have to deposit the due amount within three months from the date of approval by the development authority concerned and applications must be submitted on or before the revised cut off date. Explaining the public-oriented intent behind the decision, Mundian said, "The Bhagwant Mann government is resolving long-pending housing related issues of the people. Several families and institutions were facing hardship due to accumulated dues and procedural delays. The policy extension will provide them a practical chance to regularise their properties and move forward." Allottees who could not deposit instalments on time or complete construction within the stipulated period have been given a fair opportunity to settle their dues and secure additional time, the minister said, urging the affected people and institutions to avail of the benefit within the extended period. As per the policy, defaulting allottees can deposit outstanding dues in lump sum, along with scheme interest without penalty, while non-construction charges will be waived by 50%. In case of institutional sites, hospital sites and industrial plots allotted in IT City, Mohali, or other schemes of development authorities, extension fee will be charged at 2.5% of the allotment or auction price and a three-year period will be allowed to fulfil allotment conditions including construction....