Employees’ housing project to be ready by 2022: CHB

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 15

The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) today told the Punjab and Haryana High Court that the timeline for the completion of the UT employees’ housing scheme on 11.795 acres in Sector 53 had been finalised. The project would be completed on February 20, 2022.

An affidavit submitted before the High Court added that the board was in consultation with the UT Chief Architect and it had initiated steps for the implementation of the housing scheme. The development is significant as 252 “A” category 3BHK flats, 168 “B” category 2BHK and 144 flats “C” category flats will be constructed. In all, 564 flats will be constructed.

The developments took place on a petition filed by Phool Kumar Saini and other petitioners against the CHB and another respondent. The petitioners were seeking directions to the CHB and another respondent to implement the Self-Financing Housing Scheme-2008 on a leasehold basis for 99 years for Chandigarh Administration employees.

The court was told that the housing scheme for the employees was launched in February 2008 by the UT. The draw of lots was held on November 4, 2010, and approximately 3,950 employees were successful. However, 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 added that the CHB was apparently more interested in providing houses to encroachers. They were getting houses and tenements free of cost as “in all this, the CHB gets an opportunity for bungling”.

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

The petitioners claimed that they were also being “prejudiced against severely”. According to the conditions imposed by the CHB, the petitioners could not apply or buy any other property in the tricity till the possession of the flats was offered to the successful allottees. Besides, the delay in completing the project would significantly escalate the cost of construction.