CHB extends its penalty scheme till December 31

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 8

In a major relief to thousands of allottees, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has extended the penalty scheme up to December 31, 2021, to remove, rectify or regularise building violations (need-based changes) after paying the applicable charges. The scheme had expired on December 31, 2020.

The decision was taken after detailed deliberations during a meeting of the Board of Directors of the CHB held here today under the chairmanship of Manoj Parida, UT Adviser-cum-chairman, CHB.

Nod to reserve price of 270 properties

The CHB has approved the reserve prices of 270 vacant properties — 11 residential (leasehold), 109 residential (freehold) and 150 commercial (leasehold) — to be auctioned after reducing the reserve price by 10 per cent.

Cancelled allotment to be restored

Allotment of all those, whose units were cancelled due to building violations, will be restored on removal of all violations by June 30 & payment of applicable restoration charges.

Retirement benefits

For CHB employees, who joined after January 1, 2004, the board will make arrangements for retirement-cum-death gratuity similar to those who have joined prior to January 1, 2004.

The board has also decided to restore the allotment of all those whose units were cancelled due to building violations and their appeals are pending before the board, on removal of all those building violations by June 30, 2021, because of which the allotment was cancelled and payment of applicable revival/ restoration charges.

Earlier, UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore had advised that immediate relief should be provided to the CHB allottees.

“The decisions taken today, especially about the restoration of cancelled allotments on removal of violations by June 30 and extension of the penalty scheme up to December 31, 2021, are in the same direction as advised by the Administrator,” Parida said.

The board has also approved the reserve price of 270 vacant commercial and residential properties, situated in various sectors of the city, to be sold through an e-auction.

To get a good response, the CHB has prepared a list of 270 properties — 11 residential (leasehold), 109 residential (freehold) and 150 commercial (leasehold) — to be auctioned after reducing the reserve price by 10 per cent. Not even a single bidder expressed interest in the auction of CHB properties as the reserve price was too high for both residential and commercial properties last year.

The residential properties to be put up for sale are in Sector 51, 63, 38 (West), 39 and Mani Majra. The commercial properties to go under the hammer are in Mani Majra, Sector 51, 61 and Maloya.

The board has also decided against recovering outstanding dues from occupants of prefab shelters in Sector 52 and 56 which were occupied in an unauthorised manner and all of these have already been demolished. Nearly 1,700 families from prefab shelters in Sector 52 and 56 were recently relocated to two-room flats in Maloya on monthly rent of Rs3,000.