Chandigarh Employees Win Land Rate Relief After 16-Year Battle in Housing Scheme
After sixteen years of struggle, 3930 Chandigarh employees gained relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which ordered that their dwelling units’ land be priced at the 2008 “brochure rate.” While construction costs will reflect current rates, employees will now pay significantly less for land, honoring the original promise.
The court ordered that the construction rate be charged as per present rates but the land be given to the employees as per the brochure rate. With this, the employees will get the same at the cost of Rs 7920 per square yard (brochure rate) which UT had told the court was available for Rs 74,131 per square yard now.
Dharmender Shastri, General Secretary of the UT employees housing scheme told The Indian Express, “We are highly grateful to the court to have granted us relief. The decision has just been pronounced. The orders will be out by evening. The bench ordered that the we will get the land rates as per brochure rate while the cost of construction shall be as per the current rate.”
He added, “ Now we will be getting the land cost at Rs 7920 per square yard and just a bit of amount of the new construction rates will add up. We wish if 100 employees who were in this fight with us but lost their lives could see this moment.”
A senior UT officer of the Chandigarh administration confirmed and said , “Yes our counsel there told us that the court has ordered to give them the land rate as per brochure rate but construction cost shall be as per present rates. We are waiting for the written order.”
The scheme was launched by CHB in 2008 to construct apartments for the employees. As many as 3,930 applicants (employees) were selected through a draw of lots in 2010. However, they were not given any possession as the construction never took off. And in the meantime, the cost of each dwelling unit rose manifold.
Early this year, UT had filed a status report in Punjab and Haryana High Court in the form of affidavit informing that this scheme was not feasible and the same be closed.
The affidavit by Chandigarh administration had said, “The present status report by way of affidavit is being filed to apprise this court about the decision of the Chandigarh administration to not go ahead with the UT Employees’ Self-Financing Housing Scheme, 2008, and consequently refund the money deposited by the petitioners and other applicants.”
UT’s response had really hit the employees.
The high court had on a petition filed (in 2019) by employees asked the Chandigarh administration to submit the status report on the housing scheme. The employees, that is, the petitioners had demanded that the flats be allotted at the same rates as was promised in 2008. The CHB, however, estimated that the rates had increased five times.
In 2020, a meeting was also held with the Union Home Ministry officials through video conferencing but nothing conclusive later materialised.
BROCHURE RATES ON WHICH LAND SHALL BE GIVEN
- 3 BHK – Rs 34.70 lakh
- 2 BHK- Rs 24.30 lakh
- 1 BHK- Rs 13.53 lakh
- One room- Rs 5.76 lakh
Construction rates as per present rate shall add a bit to it from Rs 40 to 45 lakh for three BHK to Rs 35 lakh approximately for three BHK, Rs 25 to 30 lakh for one BHK and Rs 15 lakh approximately for one room.
HOW RATES OF APARTMENTS SHOT UP all these years which UT said
- 3 BHK- 2.08 crore
- 2 BHK- 1.64 crore
- 1 BHK- 1 cr
- One room- 50 lakh
About the scheme
In 2008 as many as 4,000 flats were to be built in Sectors 52, 53, and 56 by the CHB for government employees as part of the housing scheme launched that year. Thereafter, in 2010 a draw of lots was conducted for allotment of houses whereby 3,930 employees among 7,827 applicants were selected. The employees then deposited around Rs 57 crore with CHB under the scheme. Later, the scheme was shelved. Upset over that decision the employees then took up the matter with the administration. The issue went up to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and attempts were made to revive the scheme.
How rates of apartments shot up
Due to the delay in the entire process the cost of a unit shot up to Rs 2.08 crore for category A, Rs 1.64 crore for category B, Rs 1 crore for category C, and Rs 50 lakh for category D. The inflated costs were not acceptable to the employees, because when the scheme was announced the rates were only Rs 34.70 lakh for category A, Rs 24.30 lakh for category B, Rs 13.53 lakh for category C, and Rs 5.76 lakh for category D. Following the inflated costs, the employees then moved the high court alleging that the CHB was charging five times the initial price for land.
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