Plea against Chandigarh Housing Board move to sell oustees' flats in open market

Tribune News Service

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Chandigarh, September 20

A local court has issued a notice to the UT Administration for October 11 on a civil suit filed by the Pind Vasao Committee Chandigarh against an alleged decision of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to sell 75 flats in the open market, which were constructed for oustees of 11 villages.

Thirteen villagers, whose houses were acquired by the Chandigarh Administration for the development of the second phase of Chandigarh, have filed the civil suit through advocate Shiv Murthy Yadav.

The committee sought permanent injunction, restraining the defendants from selling 75 flats out of 263 flats constructed for the oustees under the “Oustee Rehabilitation Scheme-1996”. The government had acquired their houses for the development of the second phase of Chandigarh during the period from the year 1960 and 1974. The civil suit also sought mandatory injunction for issuance of a direction to the defendants to finalise the scheme and allot remaining flats to the eligible oustees.

The committee stated that many legal heirs of residents of 11 villages, namely Karsan, Kanthala, Bair Majra, Jaipura, Faidan, Datarpur, Shahpur, Bajwara, Madrian, Chuharpur and Bakhta Baijwari, were uprooted for development and expansion of Chandigarh but have not been given the flats or houses yet.

It stated that the Chandigarh Administration had assured oustees of a house for a house at the time of acquisition.

The villagers stated that their parents were from very poor families, helpless, minorities, SC/ST and illiterate and the Administration had suppressed their rights. They were yet to get justice, they added. They claimed that the government had rehabilitated unauthorised people, but the legal heirs of the persons whose land were acquired were still running from pillar to post to get justice.

They said when the “Oustee Rehabilitation Scheme-1996” was launched, many eligible legal heirs failed to apply due to ignorance or their applications were rejected on flimsy grounds. The Administration constructed 263 flats under the scheme and 75 were still lying vacant.

The villagers alleged that now, they came to know from media reports that the CHB had decided to sell the flats in the open market. When they met CHB officials regarding the issue, they were not ready to hear them, they stated.

After hearing the arguments, the court issued notices to the defendants for October 11.

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