The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) strongly condemned the affidavit filed by the Union home ministry in the Supreme Court on the proposal of the Chandigarh administration, opposing the conversion of leasehold commercial properties to freehold. “This decision will have a devastating impact on commerce in the city, potentially leading to businesses migrating to neighbouring states,” the representatives of CBM said on Wednesday.
In an emergency meeting, CBM’s senior office-bearers unanimously denounced the affidavit, terming it a ‘most unfortunate step’. The meeting was attended by CBM president Charanjiv Singh, chairman Sat Pal Gupta, senior vice-president Subhash Narang, patrons Diwakar Sahoonja, Anil Vohra, Gursharan Batra, and General Secretaries Naresh Mahajan, Sanjeev Chadha, Baljinder Gujral, Kamaljit Singh Panchhi and finance secretary Radhey Lal Bajaj.
“We demand that the Chandigarh administration, after consultation with stakeholders, should again send a modified scheme to the Union government for their reconsideration allowing the conversion of leasehold properties to freehold, facilitating usage, transfers, and loans against mortgages. The association will reach out to political parties, including BJP’s Sanjay Tandon, governor-cum-UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit and MP Manish Tewari, to raise their voice against this decision. The CBM will also join hands with industrial associations to protest this move,” said president Charanjiv Singh.
“We urge the government to reconsider their stance and support the business community in Chandigarh as it is a long-pending demand of traders and industrialists,” said Diwakar Sahoonja, patron and official spokesperson, CBM.
{{/usCountry}}“We urge the government to reconsider their stance and support the business community in Chandigarh as it is a long-pending demand of traders and industrialists,” said Diwakar Sahoonja, patron and official spokesperson, CBM.
{{/usCountry}}In Chandigarh, all commercial and industrial properties allotted after 1973 are on leasehold basis, which allows occupation for a limited period, typically 99 years. Currently, there are 6,621 such commercial and 1,451 industrial plots in the city.
For over two decades, the traders have been demanding freehold ownership as they struggle with the sale, purchase and mortgage of these plots, besides other legal complications that are not normally seen in freehold properties where the allottee is the real owner.