CHB Sector 53 Housing Scheme: Withdrawal Proposal Deferred, Final Decision Pending

Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) Sector 53 housing scheme remains pending as of August 2026. A proposal to withdraw the long-delayed general housing scheme was deferred by the CHB Board of Directors on July 8, 2026, after nominated board members opposed the move and asked for clarity on the board's future housing and land utilisation policy. The scheme is not cancelled and it has not been launched yet.

The proposed scheme will have 492 flats spread across 8.98 acres in Sector 53, Chandigarh, with buildings up to five storeys. It will be the board's first housing scheme since 2016, when its Sector 51 project was launched. Earlier this year, the board planned to launch the scheme around Diwali, but the latest board meeting has again put a question mark over its future.

In the July 8, 2026 meeting chaired by UT Chief Secretary H Rajesh Prasad, CHB officials proposed formally discontinuing the Sector 53 scheme. Nominated board member Shakti Prakash Devshali opposed the withdrawal, pointing out that no housing scheme should be scrapped without a clear board-approved policy on land utilisation and affordable housing. He also opposed handing the project to private builders, saying that private development would push prices higher. The board decided to first study the merits and demerits of the scheme, after which the matter will be taken up in the next meeting for a final decision.

The Sector 53 project has been stuck for nearly a decade. It was first proposed in 2018, when only 178 applications were received for 492 flats because of extremely high prices. It was scrapped in August 2023 by then UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit, and later revived by UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria in November 2024. A demand survey completed in March 2025 received 7,468 applications for just 372 flats, close to 20 applicants per unit.

Highlights of CHB Sector 53 Housing Scheme

Why the scheme keeps getting delayed

The main problem is financial viability, not demand. Rising collector rates and construction costs have made it difficult to price flats, especially EWS units, affordably within a self-financing model. In September 2025, UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria directed the Chief Architect to explore dividing the 8.975-acre pocket into two parts, raising the floor area ratio (FAR), building height and density, and checking whether private participation could make the EWS component work. These options are still under study.

If the scheme does launch, fresh applications will be required. Even applicants who took part in the earlier demand survey and deposited ₹10,000 for HIG and MIG flats or ₹5,000 for EWS flats will have to submit new applications, and earlier deposits are refundable if the scheme does not proceed.

Upcoming Sector 54 Project

Alongside Sector 53, CHB is preparing a big housing scheme in Sector 54, planned on 32 acres of land reclaimed from the illegal furniture market and Adarsh Colony. This project will have around 1,700 flats, not 1,000 as earlier expected, in stilt+5 and ground+5 buildings. Design and planning work for this project is expected to conclude in the coming months.

What homebuyers should do

Homebuyers waiting for the Sector 53 scheme should follow official CHB updates on chbonline.in. No final decision has been announced, so buyers should not assume either a launch or a cancellation. For those who need a home on a fixed timeline, it may be better to check private projects in Mohali, Zirakpur and Panchkula in parallel, because the Sector 53 timeline is still not confirmed.