The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) meeting scheduled for Wednesday is crucial. During the meeting, the committee constituted to address “need-based changes” in CHB houses will present its report. The attention of 62,000 families is fixed on this meeting.
The meeting will be chaired by the Chairman-cum-Chief Secretary of the Chandigarh Administration. The 545-page report will be discussed, and following CHB’s approval, it will be forwarded to the Administrator. Families residing in the 62,000 Housing Board units have long been demanding the regularization of alterations made to suit their needs. However, the committee does not support regularizing constructions made on government land. The board had formed this committee three months ago to find a practical solution regarding need-based changes. It was also decided that no violation notices would be issued until the committee’s recommendations were implemented.
The committee has studied the situation regarding alterations made across various categories of houses and the demands raised by residents. In particular, residents hope that a way can be found to regularize—or provide relief regarding—minor and long-standing need-based alterations.
Thousands of homeowners have long been seeking a resolution regarding these need-based changes. If the report suggests relief measures and the board approves them, a large number of families could benefit. The committee prepared this report after gathering suggestions from the residents of Housing Board houses.
The recommendations include increasing the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for HIG (High Income Group) houses—in addition to addressing balcony-related issues—which would provide significant relief to the residents.
A proposal to install solar power plants on the rooftops of Housing Board houses is also on the agenda for the meeting. Once approval is granted, residents of these houses will also be able to install solar power plants under the PM Surya Yojana.
**25% of the population lives in these houses**
People are demanding a policy based on the ‘Delhi pattern.’ The administration has surveyed all Housing Board houses in the city and claims that 90% of them contain violations.
More than 25% of the city’s population resides in these houses. Additionally, the second report from the committee formed to look into installing lifts in CHB residential units will be presented to the Board during the meeting. The recommendations in these reports are expected to be approved.
**Residents seek relief based on the Delhi pattern**
Residents of Housing Board houses are seeking ‘one-time relief’ modeled on the Delhi pattern to achieve a permanent solution to this issue. The administration is also studying the Delhi pattern.
In every election over the past 20 years, political parties have promised a permanent resolution to this issue. However, after the elections, bureaucratic hurdles and regulations impede the granting of relief. Currently, more than 90% of the houses in the city feature need-based additional construction, which the administration classifies as a violation.
**Six states have already granted relief**
So far, six state governments across the country have provided such relief. Residents are willing to pay the administration a fee to regularize these alterations. They question why the Chandigarh administration is not offering similar relief when other states are doing so for their citizens.
Meanwhile, the administration maintains that the alterations made to these houses violate regulations. Only the Ministry of Home Affairs has the authority to regularize them permanently, as Chandigarh is a Union Territory.
**State governments that have granted one-time relief**
State governments in Jharkhand (2019), Goa (2016), Odisha (2019), Delhi (1999), and Uttarakhand have all implemented one-time regularization for alterations made to houses allotted by their respective Housing Boards. Along with this, the Delhi government has also regularized alterations made to DDA flats. From time to time, the governments of Punjab and Haryana have also issued orders to regularize unauthorized colonies within their respective states.
