Reduce flat rates under Sector 53 scheme: Kataria

Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria today pushed for the launch of a long-delayed general housing scheme of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) in Sector 53.

Reviewing the functioning of the CHB here today, Kataria directed officials to expedite the process and prepare a final note without further delay. He stressed that the housing scheme, which had been under discussion for months following the increase in collector rates, must be launched before Diwali.

The Administrator asked CHB officials to explore ways to reduce the prices of flats and rework the proposal to make housing more affordable.

Was put on hold two years ago

The proposed scheme had 192 HIG units, 100 MIG houses and 80 EWS flats.

In August 2023, then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit had put the scheme on hold, deeming it unnecessary. This led to the cancellation of Rs 200-crore tenders issued on August 2, 2023, for the construction of 372 flats on nine acres.

The last CHB scheme was floated in 2016 for 200 two-bedroom flats in Sector 51.

Demand surveys for the Sector-53 project have been conducted twice. As many as 372 flats are proposed under the scheme.

As per the tentative cost worked out by the CHB, a three-bedroom flat (HIG) was to cost Rs 2.3 crore, 39.39% higher than the earlier proposed price of Rs 1.65 crore. A two-bedroom flat (MIG) was to cost Rs 1.97 crore, up 40.71% from the previous proposed rate of Rs 1.4 crore, and a two-room flat (EWS) about Rs 74 lakh, 34.34% costlier than the previous tentative cost of Rs 55 lakh. The CHB had revised the rates after the implementation of new collector rates in the city on April 1 this year.

The Administrator today visited the CHB office in Sector 9 for the first time. He held a review meeting with board officials and senior officers of the Administration. The meeting, which lasted for over an hour and a half, focused on the functioning of the housing body, its pending projects and the financial challenges it faces.

Sources said the Administrator sought a status report on the CHB’s ongoing work, new project proposals and income and expenditure, while noting that the board has not launched any major project in recent years. Officials admitted that the absence of new projects might worsen the board’s financial health, similar to the crisis being faced by the Municipal Corporation.

During the discussion, the issue of crores of dues against houses allotted under the Small Flats Scheme was also raised.

The Administrator was also briefed on the 120 acres of the CHB land lying vacant at the IT Park. Officials informed him that the National Board for Wildlife had earlier rejected the proposed housing scheme at the site. Any fresh proposal for construction on the land would first require mandatory clearance from the board.