In a major respite to the owners of nearly 2,500 independent Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) houses, the board of directors on Wednesday allowed them to make need-based changes, including demolition and reconstruction, after obtaining the required clearances.
The board also approved the long-standing demand of these owners to consider their units at par with Marla houses under the Chandigarh Building Rules, 2017.
The board also approved installation of lifts across all CHB units – nearly 50,000. These recommendations will be submitted to the UT administrator for approval.
Procedure for installing lifts
According to the approved procedure for this, applications will have to be submitted by registered architects under the self-certification scheme following which the CHB will give approval – provided it meets the prescribed standards – within 30 days. Until the required facility becomes available on the online building plan approval system (OBPAS), applications will be accepted offline. The area occupied by the lift or lift well will not be counted towards ground coverage or floor area ratio (FAR). This exemption will not apply to independent dwelling units.
It has also been decided that there is no mandatory requirement for the consent of every resident of a block for installing a lift. However, any resident willing to contribute towards the installation and maintenance costs must be allowed to join the proposal and use the lift.
{{/usCountry}}It has also been decided that there is no mandatory requirement for the consent of every resident of a block for installing a lift. However, any resident willing to contribute towards the installation and maintenance costs must be allowed to join the proposal and use the lift.
{{/usCountry}}Disputes among residents will be dealt with under Clause 15 of the CHB (allotment, management and sale of tenements) Regulations, 1979, by treating the block as a registered agency.
Rooftop solar installations
The issue of installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic under PM Surya-Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana in CHB units was also deliberated upon. The board decided that no prior approval or no-objection certificate shall be required for these installations.
Long-pending demand for need-based changes
The decisions come in the backdrop of the UT staying over 15,000 demolition notices sent to CHB allottees pending recommendations of a committee formed on the directions of UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria to look into the demands for regularisation of need-based changes. As part of the exercise, officials and architects visited several sectors, including 40-C, 43-A, 43-B and 38 (West), to assess modifications made by allottees in independent dwelling units.
Talking to HT, board member Balbir Singh Dhol said Wednesday’s decisions will allow owners of independent houses to demolish and reconstruct their houses after getting all clearances. The provision for lifts will particularly benefit senior citizens, persons with disabilities and residents with mobility difficulties who live on the upper floors, he added.
AAP, Cong call for wider relief
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Congress welcomed the decisions but called for a comprehensive one-time settlement (OTS) policy covering all eligible allottees.
AAP Chandigarh president Vijaypal Singh said the relief on need-based changes should be extended beyond independent dwelling units to multistorey flats and other categories facing notices, penalties and legal proceedings. He said many of the CHB allottees, living in houses allotted nearly 44 years ago, continue to face problems related to old construction, alterations and pending cases. Singh demanded a policy on the lines of Delhi to regularise eligible existing changes, subject to rules and safety norms, and provide relief from excessive penalties and decades-old cases.
Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee president HS Lucky demanded a permanent and inclusive settlement for residents. Lucky credited Lok Sabha member Manish Tewari for repeatedly raising the matter before the Prime Minister, Union home minister, UT administration and Parliament.