Bhubaneswar, Dec. 23 -- In a move expected to significantly curb discretionary control by builders and unlock long-pending apartment registrations, the Odisha government has simplified the process for registering common areas of apartment projects, fixing a flat registration fee of Rs 20,000.

The Revenue and Disaster Management Department recently issued a formal notification in this regard, amending registration procedures, paving the way for common areas to be transferred directly in the name of apartment owners' associations.

The decision addresses a long-standing impasse that had stalled apartment registrations across the state despite the Odisha Apartment Ownership Act coming into force in 2023.

While the law recognised the collec...