E-Paper
Relief for 40,000 CHB residents as Chandigarh panel revives need-based changes
A UT committee recommends reviving the need-based changes policy for Chandigarh Housing Board houses, easing rules for nearly 40,000 allottees.
In a development that will bring relief to nearly 40,000 allottees of Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) houses, a UT-constituted committee has recommended the revival of the need-based changes policy notified on January 3, 2023, with a few specific modifications.
The 11-member committee had been constituted by UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria last month to review the need-based changes policy, which had been put on hold following a Supreme Court order dated January 10, 2023. Among the major recommendations, the panel has put on hold a clause related to independent CHB houses, stating that the Board cannot uniformly apply the provisions of the Chandigarh Building Rules (CBR) (Urban), 2017, at par with marla houses, as is being followed by the Chandigarh administration. The committee has sought further clarification on this aspect. Most independent CHB houses are located in Sectors 46, 43, 38 (West) and Manimajra.
The committee has also pointed out that rooftop solar plants may not be feasible on every CHB dwelling unit. While the 2023 policy allows installation of solar panels on terraces subject to consent of block allottees and certification of structural stability, the panel noted that there were practical and structural constraints in many CHB buildings.
The recommendations were finalised after reviewing various representations from residents seeking flexibility in structural and functional alterations to their dwelling units. The report will be submitted to the CHB chairman, who will subsequently place it before the UT administrator for approval and implementation.
The need-based changes policy was first introduced on March 23, 2010, followed by subsequent notifications on July 7, 2015; February 18, 2016; February 15, 2019; and finally on January 3, 2023. However, the latest policy was put on hold after the Supreme Court, in its January 10, 2023 order, prohibited the conversion of residential units into floor-wise apartments in Sectors 1 to 30, citing the heritage status of the Le Corbusier zone. The apex court also ordered a freeze on any increase in floor area ratio (FAR) in the northern sectors and restricted the number of floors to three. It further directed that the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee examine the issue of redensification, after which the UT would consider amendments to the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 and the 2017 apartment rules in line with the committee’s recommendations.
Over the past four decades, CHB has constructed around 68,000 flats under various categories, including the economically weaker section (EWS), lower income group (LIG), middle income group (MIG) and higher income group (HIG). Officials estimate that around 80% of these flats have some form of violation, including additional rooms and toilets, conversion of balconies into rooms, covering of courtyards and even construction of staircases on government land. In the absence of a need-based changes policy, the board has not been able to legalise any such alterations.
Nirmal Dutt, chairman of the CHB Residents’ Federation, said that even if the 2023 policy is revived, it may not fully address the concerns of allottees. “As per the board’s own records, more than 90% of flats have violations. Since these deviations do not follow any architectural pattern, we are seeking a one-time solution on the lines of the 1999 Delhi policy, which has now been implemented in seven states,” he said.
