The Centre has now asked the UT administration to recalculate the rates of flats to be made for different categories under the UT employees housing scheme 2008.
On the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court, a meeting through videoconferencing was held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Union home secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla, UT adviser Manoj Parida, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) chairman Ajoy Kumar Sinha, and representatives of petitioners in the court case of the UT employees housing scheme.
After deliberations to resolve the issue regarding rates of flats of the scheme, it was decided that the calculation of rates be made again for different categories by applying various factors like floor area ratio (FAR), collector rate, plot area etc. in consultation with the representatives of petitioners of the UT employees housing scheme court case.
In the meeting, it was also decided that thereafter another meeting will be held again with the Union home secretary for further directions in the matter.
UT adviser Manoj Parida said the project would not be abandoned and employees would certainly get houses at concessional rates. He also thanked the local MP, Kirron Kher, for pursuing the proposal with the home ministry continuously.
Last year, after the opposition by employees, the UT administration had decided to reconsider high prices of flats under the UT employees’ self-finance housing scheme 2008. The employees had also moved the Punjab and Haryana high court over the UT’s delay in handing over the flats under the scheme to the employees.
The CHB had last year finalised a three-bedroom hall kitchen (BHK) flat for Rs 1.76 crore, Rs 1.35 crore for two BHK flat, Rs 99 lakh for one BHK flat and Rs 58.07 lakh for one BHK (EWS) flat. The CHB, through a public notice, had asked all the successful applicants of the scheme to give their consent within 21days for payment in five instalments with applicable interest.
Thereafter, the employees had decided not to give consent to the high prices fixed by the CHB for the flats.
Earlier, the CHB had estimated Rs 2.08 crore for a three BHK, Rs 1.64 crore for a two BHK, Rs 1 crore for a one BHK flat and Rs 60 lakh for one BHK (EWS). As the decision was taken to construct the flats for the UT employees on “no profit no loss” basis, the prices were calculated to Rs 1.76 crore for three BHK, Rs 1.35 crore for two BHK, Rs 99 lakh for one BHK and Rs 58.07 lakh for one BHK (EWS).
When the scheme was announced in 2008, the rates were Rs 34.70 lakh for three BHK flat, Rs 24.30 lakh for two BHK flat, Rs 13.53 lakh for one BHK flat and Rs 5.76 lakh for one BHK (EWS) flat. On January 2, 2019, a cabinet meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi approved the proposal of the housing scheme pending since 2008.
