CHB to conduct fresh demand survey for Sector 53 scheme

Reviving hopes of people to own a house in the City Beautiful, the UT Chief Secretary has asked the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to conduct a fresh demand survey for the Sector 53 housing scheme.

At a meeting with UT Chief Secretary Rajeev Verma today, board officials made a presentation for the revival of the scheme. Verma, who is also the CHB chairman, asked the officials to conduct a fresh demand survey for the scheme. The board had conducted a similar survey in 2018.

After carrying out the demand survey, a final presentation will be made before Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria.

After more than eight years, the CHB is considering resuming the stalled scheme. In August 2023, former UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had put on hold the Sector 53 General Housing Scheme, deeming it unnecessary. This led to the cancellation of Rs 200 crore tenders issued on August 2, 2023, for the construction of 340 flats in nine acres. Purohit had also advised against pursuing another housing scheme at the IT Park, which faced issues with environmental clearances. The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had denied approval to the project in October 2022, citing its location within the eco-sensitive zone of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.

In August 2023, the board revived its Sector 53 general housing scheme, which had been scrapped in 2018. While the scheme was not officially launched, the CHB floated tenders worth Rs 200 crore for the construction of flats. The tender offered a total of 340 flats across three categories —192 three-bedroom flats, 100 two-bedroom units and 48 two-bedroom houses for economically weaker sections (EWS).

The construction of the flats was scheduled to start in September 2023, but the scheme was put on hold.

The prices in the revived scheme were fixed at Rs1.65 crore for three-bedroom, Rs 1.40 crore for two-bedroom and Rs 55 lakh for two-bedroom (EWS) flats. When the scheme was first introduced in 2018, the prices were considerably higher — Rs 1.8 crore, Rs 1.5 crore and Rs 95 lakh for the respective three categories. Owing to the exorbitant rates, the initial response was lacklustre. Only 178 applications were received for 492 flats available, after which the scheme was cancelled. The last CHB scheme was floated in 2016 for 200 two-bedroom flats in Sector 51 for Rs 69 lakh each. Since then, no new project has been launched.

Prices were revised in 2023

The construction of the flats was scheduled to start in September 2023, but the scheme was put on hold. The prices in the revived scheme, which was first introduced in 2018, were fixed at Rs1.65 crore for three-bedroom, Rs 1.40 crore for two-bedroom and Rs 55 lakh for two-bedroom (EWS) flats.