Chandigarh: One-time settlement, increase in FAR recommended to panel

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 29

For providing relief to nearly 60,000 residents, three nominated members of the Board of Directors of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) have recommended one-time settlement for all violations made in dwelling units of the board and to increase the floor area ratio (FAR).

The recommendations were made during a meeting of the need-based change committee held here today under the chairmanship of the CHB Secretary. The CHB had constituted an eight-member committee last month to examine the request for further need-based changes in residential units of the board.

All three nominated members of the board, Hitesh Puri, Poonam Sharma and Surinder Bagha, were invited as special invitees to present their views on framing a fresh need-based change policy. The members unanimously requested the committee to come out with an amnesty scheme in Chandigarh as per the Delhi module brought in 1999.

In Delhi, there were 5 lakh residents facing demolition/cancellation orders for additions made in their houses. They thought that practically, it was not possible to demolish all such houses which came up over the last 20-30 years. They increased the FAR and regularised the unauthorised construction while charging one-time usage charge and never gave the legal right for extra construction beyond permissible limit.

“A similar situation exists in Chandigarh as more than 60,000 residents are living under the threat of demolition/cancellation of their houses as they have covered area beyond permissible space but within the boundary line,” they submitted.

They also stressed the need to streamline the transfer of property after the registration of conveyance deed and to de-link transfer of property from the violations, which will help thousands of the new owners, and further suggested to make the provision for allowing lift in their dwelling units after considering the voice of majority of residents. For independent houses, the Rules should be framed on the lines of the Estate Office, they stated.

The members stated that the CHB had allowed need-based changes more than 35 times in the past 20 years. The first time, 51 types of changes were allowed in 2001.

Residents started making changes in their dwelling units in the absence of any specific guidelines from the board and enforcement staff never stopped them. Thereafter, more need-based changes were approved by the CHB in 2010. The board again modified/withdrew these need-based changes in 2017 under the pretext of the Building Rules 2017, thus negating the recommendation of the CHB committee.

The CHB in principle allowed a room in the back courtyard, cantilever, etc, within the boundary and the skyline relaxing the FAR. “Now residents who made changes in their dwelling units within the boundary line 25 years ago are unable to get their houses regularised as no guidelines/drawings were provided at that time,” they stated.

“Constructions made 20-30 years ago cannot be demolished /altered at this stage. The construction is safe and already under use for all these years,” they added.

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