Upset over a decision of the Chandigarh Housing Board to demolish additional construction in 25000 houses, Former Union Minister and ex city MP, Pawan Kumar Bansal called for regularisation of all the houses where violations may have been reported, by charging reasonable fees. He said although the residents may have violated the rules but they should be regularised by the housing board by increasing the permissible built up area as it was done five years ago by the Administration in the case of houses of ten marlas and above.

Bansal said that Chandigarh Housing Board has recently taken a decision to meet a long pending demand of allottees of CHB flats regarding the regularization of need based changes which are technically termed violations. About five years ago construction over additional area was allowed to the residents of plotted houses after the persistent demand from the residents by charging a fee. These were 10 Marla houses and above. He said that now the same benefit should be given to the people belonging to HIG, MIG LIG and EWS whose houses are mostly in the second and third phases of the city.

Further, he said that due to some inappropriate planning and expansion of the families with time, the allottees have carried out more construction or expanded their houses in the front or back side open spaces. This is a need based demand of the hour and should be considered from a practical and humane point of view rather than demolishing the extended constructions in 25000 which as reported. This would throw to winds thousands of crores of rupees, which is national wealth besides generating humongous volumes of debris which it would be impossible to dump anywhere in the city.

The former MP urged that given the ground situation, the administration and CHB would do well to allow additional construction by charging a fee at the rate of original allotment.