CHANDIGARH: A significant relief has been granted to Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) allottees, as UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria approved various need-based modifications on Thursday.
The approved relaxations pertain to construction norms for lifts, additional doors, internal alterations, façade painting, front and rear courtyards, water tank capacities, and temporary shelters.
More than 450,000 residents in CHB-allotted houses stand to benefit from these relaxations. Kataria endorsed the committee’s recommendations set up to review the Need-Based Changes order dated January 3, 2023.
A high-level committee formed by the UT administration, chaired by the secretary of estates, conducted an extensive review of the consolidated NBC order from January 3, 2023. This review took into account the Supreme Court’s directive from January 10, 2023, which called for a freeze on the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), stakeholder representations, and the current ground realities.
The committee recommended implementing certain exclusions in the CHB’s need-based changes policy order dated January 3, 2023, directing immediate action on Clauses 2-21, 24, and 26-28.
A UT official stated, “This decision is intended to ensure clarity, transparency, and conformity with planning norms while addressing residents’ concerns within the legal framework.”
Hitesh Puri, chairman of Crawfed, expressed, “We appreciate the notification on need-based changes compared to the previous one issued in 2019. However, the administration should make substantial adjustments instead of merely reiterating the 2023 policy, which omitted crucial relaxations. Without a one-time settlement for alterations made within the building lines of CHB flats, many violations remain unaddressed. Overall, around 20-25% of residents will benefit.”
