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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Chandigarh Housing Board plans new residential projects in Sector 54
1 2 Chandigarh: Dormant for nearly a decade, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is finally waking up to the housing needs of the city. Even as CHB prepares to launch the Sector 53 self-financing housing scheme, plans are afoot to develop a new housing scheme in Sector 54. "The CHB has been allocated around 32 acres in Sector 54. Recently, a meeting on the land availability in the city for different purposes was held under the chairmanship of the UT administrator. The Sector 54 land chunk also came up for discussion. The nod was given to go ahead with the conceptualisation and planning for the creation of housing for the general public on the plot," said a senior UT official. As per the initial estimates, around 1,700 flats can come up in the area. The planning process for the new housing scheme is likely to be finalised in four to six months. "Currently, the CHB has possession of around 14 acres of the land. The possession of the 18-acre land is to be given by the estate office and the UT engineering department," said the official. CHB is the main housing creator in the city. A major chunk of vacant residential land still available in the city has been allocated to CHB. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Upto 15% Discount for Salaried Individuals ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo In addition to around 100 acres on Vikas Marg, another major landholding with the CHB is in the Chandigarh IT Park area, of more than 100 acres. CHB was planning to come up with two housing projects in IT Park, but both were stalled after failing to get approval from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Meanwhile, even as CHB officials contend that the competent authority has given the go-ahead for the Sector 53 housing scheme and it would be launched soon, a number of procedural approvals are still pending for the scheme, it is learnt. "The deposit money of the applicants who participated in the demand survey for the scheme earlier this year has been refunded after the apartment prices were hiked following the collector rate increase. Applications will be invited afresh for the project after its launch," said the official. The scheme has been hanging fire for more than seven years now. The housing scheme was to be launched in 2018, but a demand survey revealed that there were not many takers for the scheme due to the high cost of dwelling units. The scheme was revived in 2023. However, the administration decided against launching it. It was put on hold in 2023 as the administration decided that new housing was needed for the time being. It was again revived in 2024, and a fresh demand survey was conducted in 2025. Originally, 492 flats were planned. In 2022, for the revival of the scheme, CHB dropped the plan to construct 100 one-room flats. Now, CHB plans to offer 372 flats in three categories — 192 three-bedroom, 100 two-bedroom, and 80 two-bedroom EWS flats. "The decision on the construction of one-room flats will be at a later stage," said the official.


Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Mohali, Panchkula see rapid growth but Chandigarh's housing sector hits a wall
UT's housing sector has remained stagnant even as neighbours Mohali and Panchkula have seen rapid growth in group housing projects over the past decade. Around 200 housing societies have come up in Mohali (above) and 150 in Panchkula over the past decade. (HT Photo) While nearly 350 housing societies have come up in these two cities—around 200 in Mohali and 150 in Panchkula— City Beautiful has not seen the launch of a single new housing scheme since 2016. In a limbo The last major housing scheme launched by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) was in 2016, which offered 200 two-bedroom flats in Sector 51 at ₹69 lakh each. Meanwhile, a self-financing housing scheme launched for the employees of the UT administration in 2008 remains in limbo as land was not allotted for the project. In May last year, the Punjab and Haryana high court directed the administration to allot land to the applicants at the 2008 rates and construct flats within a year. The directive is expected to result in a loss of nearly ₹2,000 crore to the UT administration given that the collector rates have surged manifold since 2008. The UT has now moved the Supreme Court against the order. The CHB's most recent attempt to revive housing in the city—its ambitious Sector-53 General Housing Scheme—also hit roadblocks. In August 2023, former UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit put the ₹200-crore project on hold, terming it unnecessary. Although his successor Gulab Chand Kataria revived the scheme in November 2024 and initiated a fresh demand survey, uncertainty continues to loom over its fate. Under the new collector rates, the prices have risen to a staggering ₹2.3 crore for a three-bedroom flat, ₹1.97 crore for a two-bedroom flat and ₹74 lakh for an EWS flat, leaving officials pondering whether interested applicants will still be willing to proceed at the higher prices. Another major housing proposal in the IT Park area, which included 728 flats across three categories, was rejected by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change in October 2022. The ministry denied clearance, citing that the proposed project site falls within the eco-sensitive zone of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. Chandigarh property consultants association president Kamal Gupta alleged that officers on deputation have little interest in addressing the city's housing needs. 'While Mohali and Panchkula are growing rapidly, Chandigarh is being left behind. The administration has completely failed to provide affordable housing. Even schemes for economically weaker sections have been neglected, and the discontinuation of share-wise sale of properties has led to a massive revenue loss,' he said. Zirakpur builders association president Harish Gupta noted that people working in Chandigarh are increasingly buying homes in Mohali, where property is comparatively more affordable. 'Demand for both residential and commercial properties is high in Mohali. People living on rent now prefer owning a home in well-developed sectors of the district,' he said. Panchkula property dealers welfare association president Rajesh Dhanda added, 'Property rates in Chandigarh are extremely high, and with no new housing schemes on offer, people are turning to Mohali and Panchkula for better options at lower prices.' Former chief town planner of Punjab and the architect of Mohali's master plan, HS Bhogal said, 'Mohali is no longer the poor cousin of Chandigarh. It now boasts of not just housing projects but also top educational institutions, quality healthcare facilities, and a well-planned road network. Many people are selling their properties in Chandigarh and moving to Mohali. Chandigarh faces numerous restrictions on new development, and the city has already reached a saturation point.' Kapil Setia, former chief architect of the UT administration, said, 'There is a huge demand for housing in Chandigarh, but the supply is practically non-existent. The administration needs to explore more avenues for constructing affordable housing—there are still viable options available. With more people shifting to Mohali and Panchkula, Chandigarh is also losing significant revenue.'


Medscape
4 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Does Metabolic Dysfunction Affect Liver Fibrosis in Hep B?
TOPLINE: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) was prevalent in more than 40% of patients with chronic hepatitis B and was independently associated with advanced fibrosis. METHODOLOGY: This cross-sectional study was conducted at 19 specialised hepatology centres across five European countries to assess the prevalence and risk factors for MASLD and fibrosis. This study included 1709 consecutive patients with chronic hepatitis B (median age, 53 years; 60.7% men; 57.3% White), defined as the persistence of hepatitis B surface antigen for at least 6 months. MASLD was diagnosed using ultrasound, histology, and/or transient elastography, with a controlled attenuation parameter score ≥ 275 dB/m with at least one metabolic risk factor. In patients with chronic hepatitis B and MASLD, advanced fibrosis was defined as liver stiffness measurement values ≥ 8 kPa. TAKEAWAY: The prevalence of MASLD in patients with chronic hepatitis B was 42.3% and that of advanced fibrosis was 18%. Advanced fibrosis was more common in those with MASLD than in those without MASLD (25.4% vs 13.7%). In the multivariate analysis, BMI and type 2 diabetes were independently associated with MASLD in patients with chronic hepatitis B (odds ratio [OR], 1.27; P < .001 and OR, 2.60; P = .03, respectively). Factors associated with advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis B included MASLD (OR, 2.78; 95% CI, 1.50-5.05), BMI (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.15), insulin treatment (OR, 13.88; 95% CI, 2.95-65.28), and long-term antiviral treatment (OR, 4.86; 95% CI, 2.40-9.85). MASLD was more common in patients who were on antiviral treatment than in those who were untreated (49.2% vs 44.2%; P = .046). Screening practices for MASLD varied, with 68.4% of centres screened all patients with chronic hepatitis B and 21.1% screened only those with metabolic syndrome and/or steatosis on ultrasound and abnormal liver function tests. IN PRACTICE: "The results from our study might genuinely mirror the increase in MASLD cases in Europe that is also reflected in patients with CHB [chronic hepatitis B]," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Maria Kalafateli and Roberta Forlano, Imperial College London, London, England. It was published online on July 01, 2025, in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. LIMITATIONS: This study was retrospective in nature with missing data from some participating centres. The use of liver stiffness measurement to define advanced fibrosis, despite its modest predictive performance, could have influenced the results. The short duration of longitudinal data collection limited the ability to observe long-term effects of MASLD on chronic hepatitis B outcomes. DISCLOSURES: The authors declared having no conflicts of interest. This study did not receive any specific funding, but the Division of Digestive Diseases at Imperial College London received financial support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre and one author was a recipient of a Medical Research Council Clinician Scientist award. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.


Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
First proposed in 2018, housing scheme in Chandigarh's Sector 53 gets governor's nod
Chandigarh is set to witness a new residential housing scheme after a gap of nearly nine years. On Thursday, Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria gave the official nod to the Chandigarh Housing Board's (CHB's) long-delayed, self-financing housing project in Sector 53. The stalled project—it was first proposed in 2018—will now move forward with updated prices aligned with the current collector rates, effective from April 1. According to the CHB, the tentative price of a high-income group (HIG) three-bedroom flat has been set at Rs 2.30 crore, marking a 39.39 per cent hike from the earlier estimate of Rs 1.65 crore. A two-bedroom flat in the middle-income group (MIG) category will now cost Rs 1.97 crore, reflecting a 40.71 per cent increase from the previous Rs 1.40 crore. The cost of a flat under the economically weaker sections (EWS) category has been revised to Rs 74 lakh, up 34.34 per cent from Rs 55 lakh. The scheme, which had faced repeated delays and was even shelved in 2023, saw renewed momentum after an overwhelming response to a fresh demand survey conducted from February 22 to March 3 this year. A total of 7,468 applications were received—5,081 for HIG units, 1,269 for MIG, and 1,118 for EWS flats—indicating strong demand, especially for 3BHK units, which made up nearly 68 per cent of the total applications. The upcoming project includes 192 HIG units, 100 MIG houses, and 80 EWS flats, to be developed on approximately nine acres of land in Sector 53. This is the CHB's first major housing scheme since the 2016 launch of 200 two-bedroom flats in Sector 51. An earlier effort in 2020 to revive the scheme had failed to attract buyers, with only 148 applications received against the 492 planned units. The CHB had to cancel the survey and refund the deposits. However, renewed interest in city real estate and successful auctions of vacant CHB flats encouraged the Board to revisit the plan. In May 2023, the CHB had approved the construction of 372 flats. But the scheme was again halted in August 2023 by the then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, who deemed it unnecessary, leading to the cancellation of Rs 200 crore worth of construction tenders. 2018: CHB proposes new housing scheme with 492 units 2019: Demand survey initiated 2020: Scheme scrapped due to poor response May 2023: CHB revives project with 372 flats Aug 2023: Scheme halted by then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit 2025: CHB receives 7,468 applications in latest survey


Hindustan Times
26-06-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Sec 53 housing scheme: Kataria to hold meeting with CHB officers
UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria will hold a meeting with officers of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) over the revival of its long-delayed General Housing Scheme in Sector 53. Last week, the board circulated an agenda among its members, outlining revised flat prices based on the latest collector rates. UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria will hold a meeting with officers of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) over the revival of its long-delayed General Housing Scheme in Sector 53. Last week, the board circulated an agenda among its members, outlining revised flat prices based on the latest collector rates. (HT File) The CHB had asked all members to respond within three days, indicating whether or not they wish to proceed with the scheme under the updated pricing. The move marks a crucial step towards launching the long-pending housing project — CHB's only major residential offering since 2016. In a reply most members are in favour of launching the scheme with the revised collector rates. The officers will be presenting the same before the UT administrator. The Sector 53 scheme has faced repeated delays due to administrative indecision, fluctuating costs, and lack of consensus among board members. With environmental clearance already in place, the decision on pricing is now seen as the final hurdle before the scheme can be formally launched. After conducting a much-publicised demand survey, which received an enthusiastic response, the board has even started to refund the nearly ₹ 7.5 crore collected from the hopeful applicants. The demand survey, which ended on March 3, saw 7,468 applicants vying for 372 flats across three categories — nearly 20 applicants per unit — reflecting a strong demand. To confirm their interest, the applicants had deposited ₹ 10,000 for High-Income Group (HIG) and Middle-Income Group (MIG) flats, and ₹ 5,000 for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats. However, a sharp hike in the city's collector rates, which took effect from April 1, pushed the flat prices up by 35% to 40%, throwing the project into uncertainty. When the demand survey was conducted, just weeks before the new collector rates were implemented, the estimated cost of the three-bedroom, two-bedroom and two-bedroom EWS flats was ₹ 1.65 crore, ₹ 1.40 crore and ₹ 55 lakh, respectively. But under the new collector rates, the prices have risen to a staggering ₹ 2.30 crore for a three-bedroom flat, ₹ 1.97 crore for a two-bedroom flat and ₹ 74 lakh for an EWS flat, leaving officials pondering whether the interested applicants will still be willing to proceed at the higher prices.