Chandigarh, Sept. 12 -- Amid growing concern over the high rates of Chandigarh Housing Board's recently proposed projects, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday directed the board to make its Sector 53 scheme, which is set for a Diwali launch, more affordable. The tentative cost of a three-bedroom flat in Sector 53 is around Rs.2.30 crore while that of a two-bedroom unit is Rs.1.97 crore, and an EWS flat is Rs.74 lakh. Chairing a meeting at the CHB office in Sector 9, Kataria asked officials to revise the pricing of flats under the Sector 53 scheme and increase their number to make the project more cost-friendly. He also directed officials to reserve more flats for UT employees in Sector 54 scheme and consider offering plots, instead of flats, in some areas of the revived IT Park project. During the meeting, CHB officers gave a presentation on the board's projects and activities. They shared a detailed timeline for the Sector 53 scheme, which had faced years of delays and uncertainty. The project will comprise 492 flats spread across 8.98 acres, with buildings going up to five storeys. Notably, the board's last housing scheme in Sector 51 was launched in 2016. The CHB is also preparing to launch a major housing project in Sector 54 by November. Planned on 32 acres of land reclaimed from the illegal furniture market and Adarsh Colony earlier this year, the project will have 1,000 flats in ground+5 and stilt+5 storey buildings. The layout plan has been prepared and will be submitted to the UT department of urban planning within a week. The ambitious housing project at Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park has been revived nearly three years after the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) denied clearance in October 2022. The ministry had rejected the earlier plan, citing the site's location within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary and warning that high-rise structures could disrupt migratory bird flight paths. Under the revised plan, the CHB will restrict construction to low-rise buildings with a maximum height of ground+3 floors. The project will be developed on Plots 1 and 2 (16.60 acres) and Plot 7 (6.73 acres), part of the 123 acres of prime land retrieved from Parsvnath Developers in 2015 after a prolonged legal battle....