High Court asks CHB to file affidavit on housing scheme : The Tribune India

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High Court asks CHB to file affidavit on housing scheme

CHANDIGARH: Taking a serious note of the delay in implementation of the UT Self-Financing Housing Scheme, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to file an affidavit on the time required for the completion of the project.



Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 23

Taking a serious note of the delay in implementation of the UT Self-Financing Housing Scheme, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to file an affidavit on the time required for the completion of the project.

The Bench made it clear that the chairperson could be asked to appear before it, if the board failed to furnish the affidavit.

A Bench of Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice Amit Rawal issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by Phool Kumar Saini against the Chandigarh Housing Board and another respondent.

Taking up the matter, the Bench also set a week’s deadline for the chairperson to respond to the developments. It also asked the Union of India to clear its stand on the proposal sent by the administration for allocation of land to the board.

State largesse may not be distributed arbitrarily or discriminately, the Department of Legal Affairs, Union Ministry of Law and Justice, had asserted on the previous date of hearing, while refusing to support the issue of allotting 61.5 acres of government land to the board.

The petitioners were seeking directions to the CHB and another respondent to implement the Self-Financing Housing Scheme-2008 on leasehold basis for 99 years for the Chandigarh Administration employees.

The court was told that the scheme for the UT employees was launched in February, 2008. The draw of lots was held on November 4, 2010, and approximately 3,950 employees were successful. But nothing was apparently done by the CHB. Even acceptance-cum-demand letters were not issued to the successful applicants and “the bureaucrats at high level were sleeping over the matter”.

The petitioners said the CHB was apparently more interested in providing houses to encroachers. They were getting houses and tenements free of costs as in all this, the CHB got an opportunity to do “bungling”.

On the other hand, the successful applicants like the petitioners having a legitimate right to get a house by making payment as prescribed in the brochure were “left in doldrums”.

The petitioners claimed they were also being “prejudiced severely”. As per conditions imposed by the CHB, the petitioners could not apply or buy any other property in the Tricity till possession of flats was offered to the successful allottees. Meanwhile, possessions were expected to be offered shortly to the successful candidates in another general housing scheme launched simultaneously in 2008. Besides, the delay in completing the project would significantly escalate the cost of construction.

“Thus, they would have to pay much more for the same construction as against what they would have been required to pay in case the construction had been initiated timely by the board. Moreover, the petitioners have to pay heavy rent for the accommodation since they vacated the government accommodation allotted to them,” the petitioners claimed.

Week’s deadline to respond

A Bench of Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice Amit Rawal issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by Phool Kumar Saini against the Chandigarh Housing Board and another respondent. Taking up the matter, the Bench also set a week’s deadline for the chairperson to respond to the developments.

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