Chandigarh, Nov. 12 -- The much-awaited housing scheme in Sector 53 has hit another roadblock as Chandigarh administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has directed the UT chief architect to divide the available land - about eight acres - into two pockets, one of which could be sold to a private developer while the other can be developed by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) itself. On the chunk that is to be developed by the CHB, Kataria asked the chief architect to examine the possibility of enhancing the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), increase the building height, and raise density to make the scheme financially viable for all groups, including the economically weaker sections (EWS). With this, the housing scheme, which was initially expected to be launched before Diwali this year, stands further delayed, officials confirmed. A senior Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) official said, "The minutes of the meeting, held on September 11, were approved on November 10, and the UT chief architect will now explore the options as per the administrator's directions." Currently, the tentative price for a three-bedroom flat here is around Rs.2.30 crore while a two-bedroom unit is priced at Rs.1.97 crore and an EWS flat is to cost Rs.74 lakh. Regarding the Sector 54 land, which the UT administration reclaimed earlier this year after clearing the illegal furniture market and Adarsh Colony, Kataria directed the CHB to examine the feasibility of constructing government rental accommodation for UT employees. He further instructed that financial modalities be worked out to make the rental housing scheme self-sustaining, with rents equivalent to House Rent Allowance (HRA) being paid to CHB by the administration. The administrator also directed the UT chief architect to explore the possibility of selling land at the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park as plots, instead of developing it for group housing. Notably, in October 2022, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had refused to grant clearance for the housing project, stating that the site falls within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. The ministry had also observed that high-rise buildings in the area could disrupt the flight paths of migratory birds. This is not the first time the Sector 53 project has faced hurdles. When it was first proposed in 2018, it received only 178 applications for 492 flats due to steep pricing - Rs.1.8 crore for a three-bedroom unit, Rs.1.5 crore for a two-bedroom, and Rs.95 lakh for a one-bedroom flat. The lukewarm response forced the board to shelve the plan. In February 2023, the CHB revived the scheme with revised prices, but then UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit put it on hold in August 2023, stating that the city did not require a new housing project at that time. His successor, Kataria, revived it again in November 2024, paving the way for the current proposal. A demand survey conducted in March this year, received 7,468 applications for just 372 flats across three categories. However, the sharp 35-40% increase in collector rates since April has escalated costs, undermining the scheme's affordability. Established in 1976 to provide affordable and quality housing in Chandigarh, the CHB last successfully launched a housing scheme in 2016, when it offered 200 two-bedroom flats in Sector 51 at Rs.69 lakh each....