Chandigarh administration begins talks about Rs 1,200 cr land

The Chandigarh administration has initiated talks for Rs 1,200 cr land use. The administration secured ownership of the 25-acre land in sectors 56 and 52 eight months ago after rehabilitating slum residents of the tin shed colony. The overall worth of the land is Rs 1,200 crore. According to the media reports, a UT meeting would be held next week to discuss land use. In the early 1990s, the slum dwellers illegally encroached on the land before the administration acquired it. Now, the land is reserved for the development plans of the third phase of the city. The discussions began on the use of land, but the second wave of Covid-19 held the project. However, now there would be an in-depth discussion regarding the land. The administration relocated nearly 1,700 families in two months. Under the Affordable Housing Schemes, allottees were provided flats at Maloya, including electricity and water connections. In sectors 56 and 52, a prefab shelters occupants list was made after study conduction from September 29 to October 1, 2020, and 1,769 families were given EWS flats in Maloya-I, the construction of which started in June 2014, worth Rs 250 crore. The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is the nodal agency for constructing rehabilitation colonies. Till now, it has made 12,736 of the 25,728 flats proposed. From these, nearly 12,000 were made in Sector 49, Sector 38 (W), Dhanas, Mauli Jagran-II and Ram Darbar. The government rehabilitates slum-dwellers after taking out a biometric examination. The colonies resettled in the previous ten years comprise Nehru Colony, Mazdoor Colony, Colony No. 5, and Kuldeep Colony. Image Source