Chandigarh estate office clears 988 pending cases in 10 days

Between November 20 and 30, the Estate Office settled 988 cases, including 722 building violation cases, 196 misuse violation cases, and 60 cases related to non-payment of premium and ground rent

In a swift administrative response following the death of a senior citizen during a misuse notice hearing on November 5, the Chandigarh administration has intensified its efforts to clear long-pending cases. UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria directed senior officials to fast-track hearings, prompting the Estate Office to launch an aggressive disposal drive.

The drive has also resulted in the collection of significant revenue through fees and penalties. Despite this progress, 4,289 cases are still pending. (HT File)

Between November 20 and 30, the Estate Office settled 988 cases, including 722 building violation cases, 196 misuse violation cases, and 60 cases related to non-payment of premium and ground rent. The drive has also resulted in the collection of significant revenue through fees and penalties. Despite this progress, 4,289 cases are still pending.

Deputy commissioner-cum-UT estate officer Nishant Yadav said, “Our office has disposed of 988 cases between November 20 and 30. We are committed to clearing all pending cases to provide relief to citizens. We expect to settle another 2,000 cases this month. To speed up disposal, additional hearings, faster file tracking, and digital processes are being prioritised. I am personally monitoring hearings conducted by officers under his jurisdiction to ensure timely progress.”

Officials of the Estate Office confirmed that a large number of residents have already corrected building violations, leading to the withdrawal of notices. In cases where residents paid the requisite charges and complied with building norms, their cases were regularised, enabling the administration to close several long-pending matters.

A substantial number of the pending 4,289 cases have remained unresolved for several years, causing hardship to citizens. The urgency of the situation escalated after 78-year-old Charanjit Singh died of a heart attack on November 5 at the Secretariat while waiting for his hearing before the finance secretary. He had arrived with his wife to attend the hearing of their case.

Sanjeev Chadha, president, Beopar Mandal, said it is encouraging that officials are clearing pending hearings swiftly. Repeated dates cause immense mental stress. The administration should stop issuing notices for need-based changes by traders and allow the use of upper floors of showrooms as per business requirements, he said.

The Chandigarh Estate Office deals with several types of building violations reported across residential, commercial and institutional properties. Common violations include unauthorised construction, such as additions beyond the approved plan, excess coverage, or constructing extra floors. Misuse of property is also frequent, where residential premises are used for commercial activities without permission. Other violations involve encroachments into setbacks, public land or common areas, illegal structural alterations, and non-conforming use that goes against zoning rules. Many cases also relate to unapproved need-based changes, closing verandahs, subdividing units or altering façades, all of which require regularisation or corrective action by the Estate Office.

UT reviews progress on land stack project, marks digital governance push

A comprehensive review meeting on the land stack project was held on Thursday at the DC Office, Chandigarh, under the chairmanship of S Chockalingam, principal secretary and CEO, government of Maharashtra. Senior officers from the Chandigarh administration and representatives involved in the project also attended the session.

The land stack project is a major national digital governance initiative aimed at integrating and streamlining land-related data on a unified digital platform. Designed to enhance transparency, efficiency and accessibility, the project will benefit both citizens and government agencies. Chandigarh is one of the pilot regions actively working toward its implementation.

During the meeting, Nishant Kumar Yadav, deputy commissioner, Chandigarh, gave a detailed presentation outlining the progress made so far. He highlighted milestones such as digitisation of data, integration of land records, development of mutation workflows, mapping of land parcels and proposed citizen-facing services. He also explained the technical and administrative measures adopted to ensure data accuracy, interoperability and user-friendly features on the upcoming portal.

After reviewing the progress, Chockalingam expressed satisfaction over Chandigarh’s achievements under the project. He also shared constructive suggestions to further strengthen the platform, including adding more granular data layers, improving the user interface and incorporating additional service modules to enhance the overall stakeholder experience once the portal goes live.

The DC assured that all recommendations would be evaluated and implemented in a time-bound manner.