Even as almost all the ongoing projects of Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB),including the general housing and slum rehabilitation schemes,are running behind schedule,the Board is currently planning three more general housing schemes. Though those allotted houses in the ongoing projects continue to suffer due to the delay in the completion of projects by several years,CHB seems to be in no mood to speed up the process. The three general housing schemes,each in Sector 51-A,Dhanas and Maloya have already materialised. These schemes,coming up on an area of around 8 acres each,would be launched within this financial year. The Board is in the process of acquiring land approvals and allotments from the Administration. These schemes would come up along with the ongoing slum rehabilitation projects in Dhanas and Maloya. Another site in Sector 51-A measuring around 8.5 acres has been identified as the general housing scheme for one,two and three-bedroom dwelling units. Once the approvals come,these projects would be announced. This would be followed by the process of inviting applications for the draw or auction,which would be decided accordingly, a senior Board official said. At present,there are eight slum rehabilitation schemes on a total area of 450 acres aimed at providing one-room flats to 25,728 slum families in 18 notified slum colonies in the city and three general housing schemes launched three years ago in Sectors 38,49 and 63 are still under construction. The construction work at some of the sites under the slum rehabilitation programme is yet to commence with the land acquisition process under way. In contrast with the CHBs claim that work on the projects is going on at a good pace and is nearing completion,the allottees eagerly await details over the completion of the units. Almost all the allottees are living in rented accommodation (as one of the pre-requisites of CHB that the applicant should not own a house in his name) and had taken home loans. This is a double financial loss to us in the form of rent and loan installments, Jatinder Kaur,who has been allotted a flat in Sector 49 said. I wonder with such bad reputation of a body which has been unable to complete a single project in all these years,who would be interested in getting his money stuck in these new schemes, she added.
