CHB indulging in anti-competitive practices: CCI

Chandigarh, August 23

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has held the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to be in contravention of the provisions of Section 4(2)(a)(i) read with Section 4(1) of the Competition Act, 2002.

The case was initiated on the basis of information submitted by Ramesh Kumar, an allottee of a flat offered under a self-financing housing scheme floated by the CHB in 2010.

It was alleged that the CHB abused its dominant position under Section 4 of the Act, inter alia, by imposing unfair terms and clauses on the allottees, and failed to disclose the date of possession of the flats in its brochure and levied penal interest for full month even for the delay of one day.

The commission found non-disclosure of the date of delivery of possession and levying penal interest to be an abuse of dominant position under the Act. The orders stated that corrective measures had already been taken by the CHB. The CCI refrained from imposing any monetary penalty.