The Urban Development and Housing (UDH) minister Shanti Dhariwal has assured to bring amendments in the RHB Act 1970 which will empower the Rajasthan Housing Board to remove encroachments from its land and boost infrastructure.
The minister made the announcement during the inauguration ceremony of the new project ‘Chowpatty’. Dhariwal said, “I am surprised that big organisation such as the RHB does not have its encroachment wing and rights to recover its due. The draft of the amendment will be tabled in the state assembly to empower the board.”
As RHB witnessed immense success in filling its coffers through e-auction of unsold flats, the minister praised the efforts of the officials. Criticising the previous BJP government, the minister said, “The last government failed to utilise the manpower and infrastructure resources of the RHB and made it defunct. Our efforts have revived the hopes of strengthening the board and we successfully sold flats.”
RHB commissioner Pawan Arora said that on the lines of Masala Chowk at Ramniwas Bagh, the RHB department has launched hangout point by the name of Jaipur Chowpatty. The new centre has been developed at Pratap Nagar, Sector 23 on a plot measuring 3,780 sq-metres. As per the proposal, the board will construct 30 shops and will have space for 200 people. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 4.18 lakh. Arora said, “The revenue earned after selling the properties will be utilised to developed these infrastructure projects. Many other projects are in pipeline too.”
During the real estate slump, the RHB earned Rs 166 crore by selling 1,011 flats and houses across the state. Buoyed by the success, the board plans to continue with the auctions, offline this time. “The board has planned to sell off more than 11,000 unsold flats/houses on discounted rates through offline auction which started on December 2. The auction will be held every Wednesday and list of the properties will be uploaded a week before on Friday.”
