The Chandigarh Administration is set to present a series of long-pending civic and property-related demands before Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a high-level meeting scheduled for June 24 in Delhi. Key agenda items include the abolition of Lal Dora in 22 villages, granting ownership rights to residents of rehabilitation colonies, enabling share-wise sale of property, and advancing the Deregulation 2.0 exercise.
Core Issues to Be Raised
According to officials, several of these matters have already been deliberated upon in prior meetings with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), but final decisions are expected only at the meeting chaired by the Home Minister. The primary demands include the abolition of Lal Dora (village boundary), regularisation of constructions outside Lal Dora areas, ownership rights for residents of various rehabilitation colonies, and resumption of registration of share-wise properties.
The ban on share-wise registration of properties outside families followed a Supreme Court order that prohibited the conversion of houses in heritage sectors into apartments. This led the Property Federation Chandigarh to urge the Home Minister to resolve the deadlock. In a letter, federation president Kamaljit Singh Panchhi highlighted serious difficulties faced by residents due to the suspension of share-wise property registries after the Supreme Court judgment of January 10, 2023. The suspension has adversely affected the transfer, sale, inheritance, and management of properties, created uncertainty among thousands of residents, and resulted in substantial revenue loss for the Administration.
Rehabilitation Colony Ownership
Since the 1980s, the UT has allotted 34,965 units to slum dwellers under rehabilitation schemes on a lease or licence fee basis. However, allottees transferred these units using power of attorney arrangements. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari raised these concerns in the Lok Sabha, prompting the Centre to seek a detailed status report from the UT Administration. These ownership-related issues have remained pending for decades. Officials estimate that resolving them could benefit nearly six lakh residents while generating substantial additional revenue for the Administration.
Deregulation 2.0 and Master Plan Amendments
Under the Deregulation 2.0 policy, the UT Administration is considering eliminating the requirement of 'Change of Land Use' for farmers. It also aims to empower the state industrial development authority as the nodal agency for all approvals within industrial clusters, facilitate MSMEs through self-declaration and pre-establishment approvals, and protect them from inspections. The Administration has already examined the Punjab Right to Business (Amendment) Act, 2025, for extension with modifications in the city.
Proposed amendments to the Chandigarh Master Plan will also be discussed during the meeting. The Administration is likely to make a detailed presentation highlighting the need for vertical growth in response to rising population pressure and limited land availability.
