UT MP Manish Tewari on Thursday raised serious concerns in the Lok Sabha over the controversial Need-Based Changes (NBC) order governing Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) dwelling units, with the Centre admitting that no impact assessment of the policy has been carried out so far.
Raising the issue through an unstarred question, Tewari sought clarity from the ministry of housing and urban affairs on whether the January 3, 2023 order had been evaluated for its effects on residents. He also pressed for details on stakeholder consultations post-notification and the volume and nature of grievances received from residents, resident welfare associations (RWAs) and allottees between 2023 and 2025—particularly concerning eligibility norms, penalties and procedural complexities.
Responding on behalf of the ministry, minister of state Tokhan Sahu informed that, as per inputs from the UT administration, no formal impact assessment of the NBC order has been undertaken. However, he added that limited stakeholder consultations were conducted specifically regarding the implementation of Clause 20 of the policy.
The minister stated that no proposal is currently under consideration to amend or relax the Chandigarh Building Rules (Urban), 2017, asserting that the existing framework was formulated after a holistic analysis of byelaws in neighbouring states and adequately covers all categories of buildings.
Reacting to the reply, MP Tewari criticised the government’s stance, calling it ‘insensitive’ to the long-pending issues faced by nearly 3.5 lakh CHB allottees. He argued that residents have been grappling with rigid provisions and administrative hurdles for over two decades and deserve a more humane and responsive policy approach.
On February 26, in a move set to benefit nearly 40,000 allottees, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria approved the revival of the need-based changes policy.
The board on Wednesday issued a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to implement the need-based changes order released on January 3, 2023, allowing residents of housing board flats to seek permission for certain structural modifications in their homes.
The decision has been taken in compliance with the directions of the supreme court and the recommendations of a high-level committee. The detailed SOP will enable house owners to apply for approval for additional construction or alterations strictly in accordance with prescribed rules and procedures.
Notably, the recommendations of the policy were notified in the first week of March . Under the policy, residents who have made alterations will have to submit applications and pay the prescribed fee to regularise the changes.
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