Chandigarh: Union home minister Amit Shah is likely to visit the city on Nov 1 for Chandigarh Police Foundation Day celebrations.The visit comes as several long-pending Chandigarh proposals have gained traction with the Centre. Sources said the proposals have received an encouraging response, fuelling hopes of them moving to the next stage of processing.While formal approvals and the required administrative and legal procedures are still to follow, the response is being seen in the UT administration as a significant step forward.UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria met Shah in Delhi on Monday and invited him to attend the Foundation Day celebrations. The two also discussed several key issues related to the city, sources said.The proposals include permanent ownership rights for rehabilitation-colony residents, extending the mayor’s tenure, conversion of leasehold commercial and industrial properties to freehold, and amendments to the Chandigarh Master Plan.Sources said key announcements on some of the long-pending issues could be made during Shah’s likely visit to Chandigarh.A senior UT official said the administration had received a favourable response on some of the proposals. “The city’s long-pending issues will soon be resolved. The administration has received a favourable response from the minister on issues such as extending the mayor’s tenure from one year to 2.5 years,” the official said.The developments come as the UT administration has been actively pursuing the proposals with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which is the controlling ministry for Chandigarh.The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) recently approved the administration’s proposal for amendments to the Master Plan. The administration has also submitted proposals seeking conversion of leasehold industrial and commercial properties to freehold and permanent ownership rights for rehabilitation-colony allottees.Kataria’s meeting with Shah assumes significance against the backdrop of a crucial meeting scheduled between Shah and senior UT officials, including chief secretary H Rajesh Prasad, on Sept 3. The meeting was to include a detailed presentation by UT officials on the four proposals but was postponed at the last moment.“In an earlier meeting, the home minister could not be apprised of all these issues, and consequently a second meeting was scheduled for Sept 3. But it could not take place. The administrator’s meeting on Monday comes in this background,” said a source.The proposed Master Plan changes are among the most significant of the four proposals. They involve changes in land use and development norms as the UT seeks to accommodate growth while addressing infrastructure constraints. The other proposals concern long-running ownership and property-related issues affecting thousands of Chandigarh residents and property holders.
