Chandigarh: Once the prime driver of Accommodation in the city, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) Rapidly headed towards irrelevance. Failing to Bring Forth New Ideas Residential Projects The biggest drop since 2016 is a major sign of its existential crisis, but it is not the only sign.
Its more than 15,000 allottees owe rent of over Rs 65 crore.
Its warnings and notices to defaulters have not resulted in any major recovery. More importantly, its eviction drives against defaulters have failed and the evicted allottees have repeatedly occupied the premises.
There are several instances where the CHB canceled allotments and subsequently initiated eviction proceedings against defaulters but failed to complete the eviction process even after several years of effort.
For instance, the allotment of a house in the Sector 56 project was canceled in 2008 due to non-payment of dues. After two years of eviction proceedings, the board finally evicted the defaulter in 2010. However, the housing unit was again occupied in 2012.
The CHB also filed an FIR against the illegal occupation of the house. After going through the eviction proceedings and police FIR, the CHB again tried to get the house vacated in 2016 but failed to do so.
“In the same project, the CHB attempted to evict defaulters from at least five residential units in the last decade. In some cases, the evictions happened but the premises were reoccupied. In other cases, the evictions were planned multiple times but did not happen,” an official said.
The board has allotted around 18,138 units under the small flats scheme in the last few years, including 2,000 units under the affordable rental housing complexes (ARHC).
These flats were intended exclusively to provide housing for the allottees and their family members.
The residential units are located in various areas of the city, such as Sector 49, 56, and 38 (West), Dhanas, Industrial Area, Mauli Jagran, Ram Darbar, Maloya (small flats), and Maloya (ARHC). The allotment of these flats aims to provide affordable housing options to eligible individuals and families while ensuring that the units are used for their intended purpose and are not misused or transferred to others.
The monthly rent for these units has been fixed at Rs 800 for the first five years, after which it will increase by 20% every five years.
Another major violation that the CHB has failed to prevent is illegal occupation and subletting in its housing units. These flats cannot be sold, sub-let, transferred, or assigned to anyone else.
A door-to-door survey conducted by the Board a few years ago revealed that out of a total of 18,138 small flats/ARHCS flats, 15,995 remained with the original allottees. Of the remaining 2,143 small flats, 1,117 were found to be occupied by unauthorized persons.
“Earlier this month, the CHB canceled the allotment of 16 units, but the move faced strong political opposition. Protests were organized against the drive.
Similar political opposition to the CHB’s efforts to remove and evict defaulters has been witnessed in the past few years. Moreover, the defaulters have the option of taking several steps and appeals to delay the eviction process,” the official said.