Five months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Chandigarh administration to provide housing to eligible employees under the Self-Financing Housing Scheme 2008 within a year, the administration on Tuesday filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Court Supreme, challenging the order. .

In its order dated May 30, the high court also directed the UT to provide the flats at the rates of 2008. The cost of construction is to be paid by the employees at the current rates. However, the cost of the entire land intended for the implementation of the scheme will remain at the rate of ₹7,920 per square yard as announced in 2008.

This would result in a close financial loss ₹2,000 crore, UT argued in the SLP. It was also stated that the land in question belongs to the UT administration and has not been officially allotted to Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) in sectors 52, 53 and 56.

Despite this, CHB launched the scheme anticipating that the land would be allotted. The petition also mentioned that CHB collected only registration money from applicants.

A senior official of the UT administration said, “We have approached the Supreme Court. Hopefully the case will be listed in the next few days. CHB, the nodal agency for the project, has also filed a petition in the Supreme Court, which is awaiting listing.”

Meanwhile, the employees’ union also filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in July. A caveat serves as a precautionary notice, asking the court not to issue any order or grant relief without first notifying the filing party.

Naresh Mahajan, an employee who applied for a flat under the scheme, expressed his frustration over the delay. “Bureaucracy is working against the common man by harassing employees for no reason. What is our fault? We will continue to fight until our last breath. We have full faith in the judiciary. Over 100 employees have already died awaiting justice.”

The cost of land has increased from ₹237 crores at ₹2,200 crore since 2008

According to records, in 2019, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs pegged the cost of the 61.5-acre land for the scheme at around ₹2,200 crores, coming to ₹74,131 per square yard. However, according to the 2008 collection rate, the rate per square meter will be ₹7,920, equivalent to ₹237 million for the 61.5 acres.

Thus, the revised cost of a three-bedroom apartment will be around ₹50 lakh, a two-bedroom apartment will cost approx ₹40 lakh, a one bedroom flat around ₹35 lakh and a single room flat around ₹15 lakh — translated into a near financial loss ₹2,000 crore for UT.

About 4,000 flats were to be built in sectors 52, 53 and 56 by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) for government employees as part of the scheme, launched in 2008.

The project comprised 252 3BHK flats with service quarters, 168 2BHK flats with servant quarters, 3,066 1BHK flats and 444 one-room flats for Group D employees.