Housing scheme: UT all set to file appeal in SC

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration has completed all legal and administrative formalities in order to challenge Punjab and Haryana high court’s order on the UT Employees Self Financing Housing Scheme in the Supreme Court.
Armed with documents, the UT’s legal counsel has started the process of filing an appeal before the apex court in the matter.Sources in the UT said the appeal can be filed any day now.
The high court in its May 30 order directed the administration to keep the land cost as per the “brochure rate” of 2008 and the construction cost as per “current rate”. The HC also directed the UT to commence construction of flats within two months under the scheme, complete the work within a year and hand over the possession of flats within two months thereafter.
Following the HC order, the UT was bound to set the land price at Rs 7,920 per square yard (brochure rate), while the current rate of the land has almost gone up 10 times (Rs 74,131 per square yard, which is revised by the MHA).
Earlier, a UT official had said the UT’s appeal will hinge on two primary grounds. “First, the financial burden of the scheme will make it unviable for the administration. Second, as per the Section 3 of the Punjab Capital Act, the central government is the custodian of all UT land. Further, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) 2012 order on the disposing of all UT lands still stands,” said the official.
According to the CHB, the cost of the three-bedroom flat ranged between Rs 29 lakh and Rs 39 lakh as per the original brochure when the scheme was launched in 2008. Going by the current rate, the cost of a 3-bedroom unit will be Rs 2.42 crore. Similarly, the cost of two-bedroom unit ranged between Rs 20.4 lakh and Rs 27.36 lakh, which is now going to cost Rs 1.77 crore as per current rate.