The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is meeting to decide on two proposals that could bring major relief to an estimated 1.5 lakh residents. These residents live in roughly 35,000 CHB independent houses and flats across the city. The Board of Directors is chaired by Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad.
The first proposal deals with need-based changes in independent houses. The second proposal would allow lifts in CHB dwelling units for the first time.
Why CHB Residents Need This Relief
Since allotment, CHB residents have altered, extended, or rebuilt portions of their houses to meet family needs. Many of these changes were made without formal CHB sanction. As a result, residents have faced notices and penalties for years.
The first proposal seeks to regularise these need-based changes already made in independent houses. If approved, it would address a problem that has troubled residents for a long time — the fear of action over changes they made for genuine family reasons.
Lifts in CHB Flats: A First for Older Buildings
Residents of older multi-storey flats have had no legal mechanism to install lifts. The second proposal aims to change this by allowing installation of lifts in CHB dwelling units for the first time.
This matters most for elderly residents and people with mobility issues living in these older buildings. Without a legal route, they had no way to add a lift even when they needed one.
What the Two Proposals Cover
- Regularisation of need-based changes already made in CHB independent houses — ending years of notices and penalties for unsanctioned alterations.
- Permission to install lifts in CHB dwelling units for the first time — giving older multi-storey flat residents a legal option.
Both proposals are being taken up by the CHB Board of Directors under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad. The decisions will directly affect an estimated 1.5 lakh residents across roughly 35,000 homes.
Our Take: A Long-Overdue Fix for CHB Residents
To put it plainly, this is a decision that should have come much earlier. Residents altered their homes because their families grew — that is a basic need, not a violation to be punished with notices for years. Regularising these changes recognises reality instead of fighting it.
In our view, the lift proposal is equally important. Older multi-storey flats without any legal route for lifts have effectively trapped elderly and disabled residents. Allowing lifts is not a luxury — it is a basic accessibility need.
What readers should watch is the fine print. Regularisation often comes with conditions and fees, and the lift proposal will need clear rules on approvals and costs. The relief is welcome, but how smoothly it reaches the 1.5 lakh residents depends on how simple the process is made. If residents have to run from office to office again, the relief will stay on paper.
The CHB's decision is a chance to close a long-standing gap between how people actually live in their homes and what the rules allow. That chance should not be wasted.