A series of critical meetings are scheduled in New Delhi to address and resolve several long-pending administrative issues concerning Chandigarh, which have remained unresolved for nearly two decades. The discussions aim to bring clarity and policy direction on matters affecting lakhs of residents, business owners, and industrialists in the Union Territory.
High-Level Bureaucratic Engagements
Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, the principal adviser to the Union Home Minister on policy and administration, is set to conduct a high-level meeting with top bureaucrats from Chandigarh on Monday. This meeting is intended to prepare the ground and offer clarity to UT officials before they meet with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The meeting with Amit Shah is likely to be held in the national capital on December 12.
Senior officials from the Chandigarh administration expected to attend include Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad, Home Secretary Mandip Brar, Finance Secretary Diprava Lakra, Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, and Chief Architect Rajiv Mehta. From the Union Home Ministry, all senior officials overseeing Union Territories will be present alongside Home Secretary Govind Mohan.
Core Issues on the Agenda
The UT administration has prepared a detailed presentation covering seven major pain points. The ministry intends to resolve these issues while keeping existing regulations and the Chandigarh Master Plan, 2031 (CMP-2031) in mind.
Property Rights and Regulatory Hurdles
The agenda is packed with citizen-centric issues. A primary focus is granting ownership rights to residents of rehabilitation colonies. The administration has prepared a comprehensive history of the subject, including administrative and financial merits and demerits.
Another significant point is the conversion of leasehold commercial and industrial properties into freehold, a core policy matter for which resident and industry associations have given multiple representations.
The persistent problem of need-based changes in Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) houses will also be discussed. Despite decades of talks, most issues remain, leading the CHB to target residents. In a related and contentious move, the CHB has issued between 25,000 to 30,000 notices to residents for what it terms major building violations, with penalties including sealing and vacating properties.
Urban Planning and Governance
The administration's decision to ban floor-wise registry of residential properties in 2023, citing a Supreme Court order, will be reviewed. Residents argue the order has been wrongly interpreted, while the UT claims implementation in letter and spirit.
Urban development may see a boost with the potential increase in Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in the city's third phase and some industrial areas, though it may not be feasible in the first phase.
On the governance front, there is a push to increase the tenure of the mayor, senior deputy mayor, and deputy mayor from the current one year, a period considered too short administratively and politically by almost all parties.
Political Catalyst for the Meetings
The impetus for these high-level discussions came from Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, who raised most of these issues in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing winter session. Tewari requested the Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs to bring the matter to Amit Shah's notice, leading to the scheduling of these crucial meetings.
The outcome of these deliberations in Delhi is eagerly awaited by stakeholders across Chandigarh, hoping for decisive policy resolutions to problems that have lingered for years.
