The Chandigarh administration has started a fast and focused clearance drive to settle long-pending cases at the Estate Office. This strong push began after a tragic incident on November 5, when a 78-year-old senior citizen, Charanjit Singh, died of a heart attack while waiting for the hearing of his case at the Secretariat. The incident brought attention to the stress and delays faced by many residents who wait for years for their cases to be resolved.
Following this, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria directed senior officials to speed up all hearings and clear the backlog without delay. Acting on these orders, the Estate Office launched an intensive disposal drive from November 20 to November 30. In just 10 days, the office settled 988 cases, marking one of its fastest clearance efforts in recent years.
According to official data, these 988 cases include 722 building violation cases, 196 misuse violation cases, and 60 cases related to non-payment of premium or ground rent. The disposal of these cases has also helped the administration collect a substantial amount of revenue in fees and penalties. However, even after this progress, 4,289 cases are still pending, many of them for several years.
Deputy commissioner-cum-estate officer Nishant Yadav said that the administration is fully committed to reducing the burden on citizens by clearing all old cases as quickly as possible. He added that they aim to resolve another 2,000 cases within this month. To speed up the process, the office is adding more hearing slots, improving internal file movement, and giving priority to digital tracking. Yadav also said he is personally monitoring all hearings conducted by officers to ensure timely progress and avoid unnecessary delays.
Officials shared that many residents have already taken corrective steps in their buildings after receiving violation notices. Some have removed illegal additions, while others have paid the required charges for regularisation. As a result, many old cases were withdrawn or closed. This cooperation between citizens and the administration is helping reduce the backlog faster.
Many of the pending cases have been unresolved for years and have caused serious stress to residents. The death of Charanjit Singh created a sense of urgency in the departments. Singh had arrived for the hearing of his property misuse case with his wife when he suffered a heart attack. The incident shocked citizens and pushed authorities to immediately focus on clearing piled-up files.
Business groups also welcomed the fast clearance. Sanjeev Chadha, president of Beopar Mandal, said that quick disposal of cases can prevent long-term mental stress for people. He suggested that the administration should stop issuing notices for small “need-based changes” made by traders and allow the use of upper floors in showrooms based on business needs.
The Estate Office deals with many types of violations across residential, commercial, and institutional properties. A large number of cases involve unauthorised construction, such as adding extra rooms beyond the approved plan, increasing the covered area, or constructing additional floors. Misuse cases are also common, where residential buildings are used for commercial activities without permission. Encroachments into setbacks, public land, or common areas are another frequent issue. Many residents also close verandahs, subdivide units, alter façades, or make other changes without approval. These actions go against building rules and require either corrective steps or approvals from the Estate Office.
The office regularly issues notices and holds hearings to resolve these violations, but slow processing, inadequate staff, and growing populations have created backlogs over the years. This new push aims to correct that.
Along with the clearance drive, the Chandigarh administration is also working on improving digital governance. On Thursday, a review meeting for the land stack project—a major national digital governance initiative—was held at the DC Office. The meeting was chaired by S Chockalingam, principal secretary and CEO of the government of Maharashtra. Senior officers from Chandigarh and partner agencies also attended.
The land stack project aims to bring all land-related data on a single digital platform. This includes digitising records, mapping land parcels, integrating mutation workflows, and designing citizen services. The project will make land information more transparent and accessible to both citizens and officials. Chandigarh is one of the pilot regions for this initiative.
During the meeting, deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav presented the progress made so far. He explained how data digitisation, record integration, and user-friendly service design are moving forward. He also emphasised the steps taken to ensure accuracy, smooth working between systems, and a simple interface for users.
After reviewing the updates, Chockalingam expressed satisfaction and suggested adding more detailed data layers and additional modules to improve the overall experience once the portal becomes active. The DC assured that all suggestions would be reviewed and implemented within a fixed timeframe.
The clearance drive and the digital land project together show Chandigarh’s commitment to reducing public inconvenience through quicker decisions and modern governance systems. The administration plans to continue the fast-track hearings and digital improvements to ensure citizens get timely and transparent services.
Copyright © © 2022 Copyright. All Rights Reserved with Arth Parkash