New panel to decide on ownership rights in rehabilitation colonies of Chandigarh

The UT Administration has constituted a new committee to examine the long-pending issue of granting ownership rights to residents of rehabilitation colonies. The committee was formed after the administration declined to accept the recommendations of a previous committee formed in 2023.

The newly formed committee will be headed by the Secretary of the Estate Department. It has been tasked to decide the future of nearly 35,000 houses built under the rehabilitation scheme.

UT Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad has asked the committee to submit its report at the earliest.

According to officials, the committee will examine legal provisions, pending court cases and the policy models adopted by other cities in granting relief to residents of similar colonies. The administration has clarified that a final decision will be taken only after the committee submits its report.

Earlier in 2023, a separate committee had submitted its report, but the administration chose not to implement its recommendations, as it could further complicate matters for residents.

The administration conducted a comprehensive survey of houses in all rehabilitation colonies across the city. The survey revealed that nearly 80 percent of occupants are not original allottees. Many houses were reportedly purchased through General Power of Attorney (GPA) agreements, which the administration does not recognize as legally valid transfers.

Officials also found that hundreds of houses had been sold multiple times — some three to four times — through informal documentation. Authorities stated that property transactions conducted on “raw paper” or GPA basis are not legally acceptable, especially since these houses were originally allotted on a license-to-occupy basis.

More than 34,000 houses have been in the city under the rehabilitation scheme and allotted to economically weaker sections either on leasehold terms or monthly license fees.