No amnesty for Chandigarh Housing Board allottees confirmed

The central government announced that there will be no amnesty scheme for Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) allottees. This statement was made in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday by Nityanand Rai, the minister of state in the ministry of home affairs. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari asked if the government would consider a proposal similar to a one-time settlement scheme that exists in Delhi. He pointed out the challenges faced by CHB allottees due to frequent notices from the Board. The minister responded that the CHB's Master Plan focuses on reviewing the safety of housing units and enforcing building laws. Tewari highlighted the issues with the CHB's enforcement actions over the last decade. He mentioned that CHB issued over 6,400 notices but conducted only 223 demolitions, which is just 3.44%. Additionally, he noted that fines collected over ten years were only around Rs 3.72 crores, averaging Rs 37.2 lakhs a year. Tewari criticized the notices, calling them tools of harassment and demanded the need for an amnesty scheme to alleviate these problems. He urged a thorough review of the CHB's operations.