Chandigarh traders, residents meet Kirron Kher over long-pending demands

Chandigarh, May 10

A delegation of the Chandigarh Coordination Committee today met MP Kirron Kher and sought her intervention for their long-pending demands.

The committee is a joint forum of traders, industrialists and RWAs, and represents over 15 associations.

The members submitted that their demand of conversion of plots from leasehold to freehold is under active consideration of the UT Administration and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. They requested the MP that a user-friendly policy be announced at the earliest to help clear the property titles and litigations.

They maintained that misuse and penalty notices had been issued by the UT Estate Office for which it was not empowered under the Punjab Capital Act-1952, and these should be withdrawn. Need-based changes need to be allowed. Only then, the penalty charges should be fixed on reasonable rates. There must be a zero period (of up to 60 days) under which the property holder must be allowed to set right the violation and misuse without any fine/penalty.

Besides, the members also sought reforms in the Estate Office building branch/architecture department, rationalisation of collector rates and withdrawal of unjustified fine and fee charged by CITCO on the sheds constructed and allotted by it.