Chandigarh: 10 yrs after handing over possession, housing board still playing with fire in Dhanas
In the recent meeting chaired by the finance secretary, the officials failed to take any decision and the matter was deferred to a later discussion to be held under the UT advisor Dharam Pal
Nearly 10 year after the then Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh handed over the keys to a few residents of the 8,448 small flats constructed by Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) in Dhanas, the board is yet to take a call on the installation of a firefighting system in the neighbourhood — which now houses 45,000 people.
In the recent meeting chaired by the finance secretary, the officials failed to take any decision and the matter was deferred to a later discussion to be held under the UT advisor Dharam Pal.
Speaking of the same, CHB chief executive officer (CEO) Yashpal Garg said, “We are working on deciding whether to install the firefighting system or have a fire brigade stationed in the area. We will soon be taking the decision in this regard.”
In September 2013, Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) handed over possession of 8,448 flats in Dhanas to the residents of Colony Numbers 4 and 5. The flats were constructed under the UT administration’s slum rehabilitation plan. The flats have been constructed on 162.5 acres of land with a motive to remove Colony Numbers 4 and 5.
Area councillor Ram Chander Yadav said, despite several representations and requests to both UT administration and CHB, no fire fighting system has been installed in the area.
Akhil Bansal, a resident of Dhanas, said the officials were playing with fire and a major could break out any day in the absence of a proper system. “We are paying the licence fee for the flats every month,” he pointed out.
Another CHB official, meanwhile said, “We are ready to install the system at the cost of ₹11 crore, but the residents are not ready to take over the maintenance of the system.”
