Chandigarh, November 12:- A delegation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chandigarh today met the Chief Secretary of Chandigarh Administration led by General Secretary Omkar Singh Aulakh and submitted a memorandum to him, demanding that the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) organize special camps for early resolution of long pending cases of senior citizens, widows, retired employees and people with special abilities.
The delegation included Councilor Yogesh Dhingra, Leader of Opposition Jaswinder Kaur, Sukhraj Sandhu (Working President, Women Cell), Deshraj Sanawar (President, SC Cell) and Vikrant A. Tanwar (State Media Incharge).
The AAP leader expressed deep grief over the death of a 78-year-old senior citizen during a hearing of the Housing Board at the UT Secretariat on November 4 and termed it as a result of administrative delay and negligence.
In a memorandum submitted by AAP Chandigarh president Vijaypal Singh, the administration was demanded that the Housing Board set up a special camp where officials from the technical, legal and building plan sections would sit at one place and resolve the cases on priority basis. He suggested that in the first phase, the camp should be for senior citizens, widows, retired employees and people with special qualifications, while in the second phase, camps should be set up for general applicants.
The party also suggested that first aid facilities and documentation help desks be set up at the camp site so that the senior citizens do not face any kind of inconvenience. It was also recommended to set up a Grievance Redressal Cell in the Housing Board, which would function as a single window system in a transparent and effective manner.
The memorandum also demanded that the Housing Board should start a One Time Settlement (OTS) scheme, which would resolve small and old cases, provide relief to the people and help the Board in increasing revenue and restoring public confidence.
It was also emphasized that all construction or regularization cases should be settled within a maximum of 90 days, and household necessities like balcony grills, safety doors or storage space should not be considered as violations, but should be accepted as a daily necessity.
Giving a positive assurance, the Chief Secretary said that the administration would take the matter seriously and necessary action would be taken, so that such a tragic incident does not happen again.
AAP Chandigarh said that this step will be an important step towards making the Housing Board more humane, accountable and people-friendly, thereby ensuring dignified and timely justice to the citizens of the city.