Chandigarh, Aug. 18 -- After years of delays and uncertainty, despite a demand survey earlier this year, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is finally set to launch its long-pending General Housing Scheme in Sector 53 in the second week of September. The project will comprise 492 flats spread across 8.98 acres, with buildings up to five storeys. This will be the board's first offering in nearly a decade, having last successfully launched a housing scheme only in 2016, in Sector 51. A senior CHB official confirmed that the brochure for the scheme had been finalised and the launch will take place with the newly revised collector rates. Under the rates that came into effect on April 1 this year, the prices have surged sharply - a three-bedroom flat will now cost around Rs.2.30 crore, a two-bedroom flat Rs.1.97 crore and an EWS flat with two rooms Rs.74 lakh. The Sector 53 scheme has faced repeated setbacks due to administrative indecision and lack of consensus within the board. However, with environmental clearance already in place and renewal secured by paying Rs.5 lakh to the environment department, pricing remained the final hurdle. A demand survey conducted earlier this year attracted 7,468 applicants for just 372 flats across three categories, establishing strong demand. Applicants had deposited Rs.10,000 each for HIG and MIG flats, and Rs.5,000 for EWS flats to confirm their interest. However, the steep hike in collector rates since April has increased costs by 35-40%, creating uncertainty over affordability. During the survey, conducted just weeks before the new rates took effect, the estimated cost of flats was Rs.1.65 crore for a three-bedroom unit, Rs.1.40 crore for a two-bedroom unit and Rs.55 lakh for an EWS unit. In June, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria allowed CHB to proceed with the scheme's launch with the hiked rates. A formal presentation will be made before him in the coming week, after which the scheme will finally be set in motion after nearly a decade of anticipation and suspense....