Chandigarh: 10 years on, 83 residential property allottees await ownership

In 2008-09, Chandigarh administration allowed conversion of these plots from leasehold to freehold, even through a General Power of Attorney holder, following which allottees began applying for conversion

Over 10 years after permitting leasehold to freehold conversion for 83 residential plots, the UT administration has failed to transfer the properties into the owners’ names, despite completion of registration and payment of unearned profit.

Chandigarh finance secretary Vijay Namdeorao Zade assured, “We have transferred some cases and the rest will be done by the end of January.” (HT File)

According to records, UT had invited applications for leasehold plots, ranging from 100 to 250 square yards, in the early 1970s. These were allotted in the early 1990s with a restriction on sale for 15 years. All plots are situated in various southern sectors of the city.

In 2008-09, the UT administration allowed conversion of these plots from leasehold to freehold, even through a General Power of Attorney (GPA) holder, following which allottees began applying for conversion. But their tiresome wait for conversion continues one decade later.

UT finance secretary Vijay Namdeorao Zade assured, “We have transferred some cases and the rest will be done by the end of January.”

The record further states that after the expiry of the lock-in period, which ended in the late 2000s, property owners were allowed to register their properties with the UT administration.

Following this, they filed appeals with the UT chief administrator and in the meantime, in one case, the Punjab and Haryana court issued orders directing the UT administration to allow the transfer.

One of the allottees, Harjit Singh of Sector 37 said in 2019, when they applied for the transfer, the UT Estate Office once again demanded payment of unearned profit at the rate prevailing in the early 90s to facilitate the transfer. “Despite most applicants paying a hefty amount, in addition to the registry amount for freehold properties, nothing has been done to date as the Estate Office awaits orders from the finance department,” Singh said.

The issue was also raised last month during a grievances camp held at the Community Centre in Sector 38, where UT finance secretary Vijay Namdeorao Zade assured, in the presence of deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh and assistant estate officers Sanyam Garg and Rajeev Tiwari, that everything will be sorted out.