CHB to extend deadline for giving consent by a month Ramkrishan Upadhyay Chandigarh, July 15 Giving a relief to employees, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has decided to extend the deadline by a month for them to give their consent to the revised rates of flats under the UT Employees Self-Finance Housing Scheme-2008. While not a single employee has given his or her consent to the new rates within the stipulated 21 days, the CHB decided to extend the deadline after the employees raised the issue with UT Adviser Manoj Parida. The deadline for the consent ended on July 12. The CHB had issued a public notice on June 22 asking the employees to give their consent to the revised rates of flats within 21 days. The employees met the Adviser last week and requested him to reconsider the cost, which, they said, had almost finished the scheme, which was revived after a long battle. Sources said the official order for extending the deadline would be issued soon. After a gap of 10 years, the Centre had approved the proposal to allot land to the CHB for the construction of 3,930 flats for the successful allottees, but the Ministry of Home Affairs directed the UT to allot land on the basis of the current collector rates of the area. Due to this, the cost of the land increased manifold. The CHB needs around Rs 2,200 crore to pay for the land to the Administration. While the scheme was earlier launched on a no-profit-no-loss basis, the decision of the MHA came as a big blow to the allottees. The CHB has fixed a price of Rs 1.76 crore for a three-bedroom (BHK) flat, Rs 1.35 crore for a two BHK flat, Rs 99 lakh for a one BHK flat and Rs 58.07 lakh for one BHK (EWS) flat under the scheme. The rate of the EWS category flat was only Rs 5.76 lakh, while that of a three-bedroom flat was Rs 34.70 lakh when the scheme was launched. UT Employees Housing Welfare Society general secretary Dharmender said they had decided not to give their consent as the new rates were out of their reach. Dharmender said they met the Adviser last week and requested him to reconsider the cost of the flats. Dharmender said the Adviser assured them that their demand would be taken up and a representative of the employees would be included in a committee, likely to be set up for the purpose. Rs 1.76 cr for 3 BHK flat The CHB has fixed a price of Rs 1.76 crore for a three-bedroom (BHK) flat, Rs 1.35 crore for a two BHK flat, Rs 99 lakh for a one BHK flat and Rs 58.07 lakh for one BHK (EWS) flat under the scheme. The rate of the EWS category flat was only Rs 5.76 lakh, while that of a three-bedroom flat was Rs 34.70 lakh when the scheme was launched.

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