Chandigarh, 5 February 2025: The Union Government has ruled out granting ownership rights to occupants of houses allotted under Chandigarh’s rehabilitation schemes, stating that no such provision exists.
During the Budget Session of Parliament, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari questioned Home Minister Amit Shah on the number of houses built under rehabilitation schemes since 1980 and whether the government was aware of a survey conducted by the UT Estate Office to determine ownership rights. He sought details of the survey and the reasons, if any, for not recognizing ownership.
In response, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai stated that 34,965 houses had been constructed under various rehabilitation schemes in Chandigarh since 1980. “These houses were allotted to economically weaker sections on a monthly license fee or leasehold basis. There is no provision to grant ownership rights,” Rai clarified.
Tewari criticized the government for what he called a failure to deliver on past electoral promises.
“The BJP government is short-changing poor people by not giving them ownership rights, as promised in the 2014, 2019, and 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.
Chandigarh’s rehabilitation schemes have led to the establishment of several colonies, including Bapu Dham Colony and Ram Darbar.
However, an extensive survey conducted by the UT Estate Office in December 2023 found that many of these houses were no longer occupied by their original allottees.
Despite ongoing demands for ownership rights, the administration maintained that houses obtained through the General Power of Attorney (GPA) were not legally purchased.
Under existing rules, these homes cannot be rented or resold, yet many have changed hands multiple times. Most were originally leased in 1979, but a 2011 Supreme Court ruling imposed a ban on transfers through GPA.
Tewari also questioned the government on Chandigarh’s budgetary allocations from 2019 to 2024, seeking year-wise details of expenditures made by the administration.
He asked why the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation continued to receive an average annual allocation of only ₹560 crore despite handling most of the city’s operations and why the Centre had not implemented the Delhi Finance Commission’s revenue-sharing formula, which mandates that 30% of the budget be allocated to local bodies.
In response, Rai said budget allocations and expenditures were available in the Detailed Demand for Grants (DDG) in the public domain.
He added, “The annual allocation to the Municipal Corporation is made considering the overall budget of Chandigarh and the estimated revenue receipts of the corporation.”
On the denial of 30% budget allocation to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, Tewari said, “Once again, the BJP government obfuscated and refused to give the rightful share of the budget to the MC.”
