UT housing board contemplates FIRs against allottees; cancels 22 flats

The Chandigarh Housing Board had conducted multiple surveys of all small flats after it received inputs that original allottees had given away the dwelling units to others.

During one of the surveys, the administration had found that around 900 flats were occupied by people other than the original allottees, while 1,268 dwelling units were found to be locked. A second round of checking later had found that only 368, out of a total of 1,268 small flats which were found to be locked originally, were retained by the original allottees

The Chandigarh Housing Board had allotted more than 18,000 flats under Rehabilitation Scheme/Small Flat Scheme/Affordable Rental Housing Scheme between July 2022 and September 2022.

The board later, however, started receiving complaints that some of the allottees had illegally sold/sub-let/transferred/handed over their flats to other persons, in violation of its rules and regulations.

Yashpal Garg, the Chief Executive Officer of the Chandigarh Housing Board said, “Based on a door-to-door survey, the CHB has started taking action against the allottees that have violated terms and conditions of their allotment.

Till date, 22 flats have been cancelled. In the remaining cases, orders of cancellation will be issued after the allottees are provided a opportunity of hearing. CHB is also contemplating the registration of FIRs against allottees and purchasers and also against property dealers/deed writers/middlemen/property consultants/facilitators/ financers who are found to be involved in illegal transactions of sale/purchase/sub-let/transfer of these flats.”

Garg added that the allottees who have been found in violation can also step forward and surrender their flats voluntarily.

“All the allottees/licencees of under rehabilitation process/ Small Flats Scheme/ARHC are informed that in case they do not want to occupy such flats, they can surrender them to Chandigarh Housing Board. Further the allottees are required to immediately clear their all outstanding dues,” he said.

The housing board also appealed to the general public that the flats allotted by it under rehabilitation process/ Small Flats Scheme/ARHC cannot be sold/transferred/sub-let. “The general public should beware of the fraudulent claims of getting such sales/transfers/sub-lets regularised because there is no such scheme,” the board said in a statement.