Working to create new affordable housing in the city, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has decided to revive its Sector-53 general housing scheme that was scrapped in 2018 owing to poor response from public over steep prices.
On Thursday, the CHB Board of Directors, at a meeting chaired by UT adviser-cum-CHB chairman Dharam Pal, approved to launch the scheme, with slashed prices, on nine acres in Sector 53.
With the nod in, the board plans to roll out the scheme by April, when tenders for the flats’ construction will be floated and applications from home hopefuls will be invited.
As per the proposal, the board will offer 340 flats in three categories — 192 three-bedroom, 100 two-bedroom and 48 two-bedroom EWS flats.
The estimated prices are ₹1.58 crore for three-bedroom, ₹1.35 crore for two-bedroom and ₹54 lakh for two-bedroom EWS.
When the scheme was first floated in 2018, the three-bedroom flat was offered for as high as ₹1.8 crore, two-bedroom flat for ₹1.5 crore and one-bedroom flat for ₹95 lakh. As a result, the scheme, which was touted as the most expensive public housing project in the city’s history, received only 178 applications against the 492 flats on offer.
Even after the board slashed the proposed rates by 15% to attract more buyers, the response did not improve, leading to the project’s scrapping.
4BHK flats also being considered
In the Thursday meeting, the proposal to add four-bedroom flats, costing ₹2.25 crore each, on the same land was also tabled. The agenda will be placed before the next board meeting scheduled in March.
CHB CEO Yashpal Garg said, “Now that the project has been approved, we will get the brochure ready and are hopeful of launching the scheme within two months. Apart from slashing prices, we have decided not to construct the one-bedroom flats, as a survey had revealed that it won’t have many takers.”
Transfer fee of commercial properties slashed
The CHB board of directors also slashed transfer fees for leasehold commercial properties that were sold through auctions, bringing the fee on par with that of the UT Estate Office.
Now, the board will charge ₹400 per square yard for coverable area of booth/ bay shop (single storey) and ₹200 per square yard for open area.
For SCF, ₹600 per square yard will be charged for coverable area and ₹200 per square yard for open area. The charges will be ₹800 per square yard and ₹200 per square yard, respectively, for SCO.
So far, CHB had been charging ₹7 lakh or 7% of the collector rate, whichever is higher, to transfer ownership of a commercial property, much higher than the 3% charge levied by the UT Estate Office.
Nod to amalgamation of two or more commercial units
In another decision, the board of directors approved amalgamation of two or more adjoining sites of SCOs/SCFs/bayshops/booths with same ownership.
The board also allowed partial amalgamation of floors as a temporary arrangement, if the owners of two adjoining plots are different and both the buildings are rented to one party.
