Notices to 11,000 rent defaulters by Chandigarh Housing Board

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, March 5

Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has issued notices to nearly11,000 allottees of small flats and Affordable Rental Housing Scheme (ARHC) to clear their pending rent of nearly Rs 40 crore at the earliest to avoid eviction.

In view of Covid-19, strict action against the rent defaulters was kept on hold, said Yashpal Garg, Chief Executive Officer, CHB. He added that the notices were issued to the allottees whose pending rent was more than Rs10,000.

The occupants of small flats in eight rehabilitation colonies have failed to pay their outstanding rent. They were allotted small flats at Dhanas, Sector 38 (West), Sector 49, Sector 56, Ram Darbar, Mauli Jagran, Maloya and Industrial Area, Phase II, several years ago. Similarly, a large number of occupants of small flats under the Affordable Rental Housing Scheme (ARHS) at Maloya have also failed to pay their rent.

The CHB had time and again sent recovery notices to the defaulters. In 2019, the CHB had cancelled the allotment of nearly 250 allottees for the violation.

Despite several notices issued to the defaulters, they have failed to pay their rent, said Yashpal Garg, Chief Executive Officer, CHB. He said cancellation proceedings would be initiated against the defaulters if they failed to clear their dues within 15 days and their allotment would be cancelled. In view of the Covid-19 pandemic, strict action against the rent defaulters was kept on hold, he added. He said the notices were issued to the allottees whose pending rent was more than Rs10,000.

To make the city slum-free, the UT Administration had allotted small flats to slum dwellers under the slum rehabilitation scheme in the city. The allottees of the one-room EWS flats are charged ground rent from Rs800 to Rs1,000 per month which is increased by 20 per cent after five years of allotment.

Under the Chandigarh Small Flat (Amendment) Scheme 2020, if allottees do not pay the rent, they are liable to pay a penalty of 12 per cent per annum. If paid on time, the yearly collection of rent will be about Rs20 crore. While the CHB keeps 5 per cent of the recoveries as administrative costs, the rest is deposited with the Administration.

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