Chandigarh: 322 houses vacant but PGI staff await allotment
The vacant houses include those meant for faculty as well as non-teaching staff, with nursing officers and others belonging to Group B and C having the longest list of employees awaiting house allotment.
PGI accommodates its staff in Sector 12 and 24 but due to the long wait list, the employees are having to put up in rented places nearby, often at a high cost.
The RTI, filed by Ashwani Munjal, chairperson of the joint action committee of the PGI contractual workers, shows several houses have remained unallotted since 2017. Yet, the house allotment committee (HAC), which is responsible for distributing them, has met only once in 2025, on July 30, after an 11-month gap since its previous meeting in September 2024.
During this meeting, chaired by Prof Arun Kumar Aggarwal, 12 houses were allotted. But the orders for recommendation were passed on August 12, ironically the same day when the response to the RTI was provided. The RTI query was filed on July 9.
Delay in fitness report from engg dept
The major reason behind the delay in house allotment appears to be the irregular meetings of HAC but the engineering department's failure to provide timely fitness reports for each house is equally to be blamed for the backlog. A letter from the estate branch dated June 16, 2025, noted that while the list of vacant houses had been shared with the engineering department, it had not received the fitness reports. Without these, allotments could not be done.
Munjal said that this delay was causing a huge loss to the government exchequer. Not only is PGI missing out on the licence fees and monthly rent from allotted houses, but it is also paying 20% of the basic pay as House Rent Allowance (HRA) to eligible staff each month.
Despite repeated attempts, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal and deputy director administration Pankaj Rai did not comment. The official spokesperson said that a fact-finding exercise would be needed before providing an explanation.
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Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh: 322 houses vacant but PGI staff await allotment
As many as 322 government quarters meant for staff at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) are lying vacant even as 847 employees are in the waitlist for allotment, an RTI has revealed. PGI accommodates its staff in Sector 12 and 24 but due to the long wait list, the employees are having to put up in rented places nearby, often at a high cost. (HT File) The vacant houses include those meant for faculty as well as non-teaching staff, with nursing officers and others belonging to Group B and C having the longest list of employees awaiting house allotment. PGI accommodates its staff in Sector 12 and 24 but due to the long wait list, the employees are having to put up in rented places nearby, often at a high cost. The RTI, filed by Ashwani Munjal, chairperson of the joint action committee of the PGI contractual workers, shows several houses have remained unallotted since 2017. Yet, the house allotment committee (HAC), which is responsible for distributing them, has met only once in 2025, on July 30, after an 11-month gap since its previous meeting in September 2024. During this meeting, chaired by Prof Arun Kumar Aggarwal, 12 houses were allotted. But the orders for recommendation were passed on August 12, ironically the same day when the response to the RTI was provided. The RTI query was filed on July 9. Delay in fitness report from engg dept The major reason behind the delay in house allotment appears to be the irregular meetings of HAC but the engineering department's failure to provide timely fitness reports for each house is equally to be blamed for the backlog. A letter from the estate branch dated June 16, 2025, noted that while the list of vacant houses had been shared with the engineering department, it had not received the fitness reports. Without these, allotments could not be done. Munjal said that this delay was causing a huge loss to the government exchequer. Not only is PGI missing out on the licence fees and monthly rent from allotted houses, but it is also paying 20% of the basic pay as House Rent Allowance (HRA) to eligible staff each month. Despite repeated attempts, PGIMER director Dr Vivek Lal and deputy director administration Pankaj Rai did not comment. The official spokesperson said that a fact-finding exercise would be needed before providing an explanation.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
323 PGI staff houses lie vacant, causing Rs 5.5 crore annual loss
As many as 323 houses meant for faculty and non-faculty staff of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) in Sectors 12 and 24 have been lying vacant for years, causing an annual financial loss of around Rs 5.5 crore, information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed. According to the RTI reply, the losses are on account of forgone licence fees and the payment of 20% house rent allowance (HRA) to staff who could have been accommodated in these quarters. Over the last five to six years, the non-allotment of vacant houses has cost PGI more than Rs 20 crore. Applicant Ashwani Kumar Munjal, an honorary member of the PGI Employees' Union (Non-Faculty), said many of these houses have remained unoccupied from 2017 to 2025, even as several employees wait for official accommodation. 'Staff have to rent homes in far-off areas at high rates. This puts a heavy financial burden on them and delays their arrival for duty due to traffic congestion, ultimately affecting patient services,' he said. The RTI reply also shows that many of these houses have been locked up for years, rendering them uninhabitable. While PGI suffers rental losses running into several lakh rupees annually, it continues to incur expenses on the upkeep and security of these properties. Residential accommodation at PGI is primarily meant for faculty, resident doctors, nurses, and other staff. However, due to various reasons — from long-pending repairs to unsuitable location or size — 323 houses remain unallotted. A recent 'fitness report' of the vacant quarters flagged severe issues, including wall cracks, leaking roofs, faulty sewage and plumbing systems, unsafe electrical wiring, and dilapidated doors and windows. These problems have delayed allotment and driven up annual maintenance costs. Meanwhile, demand for on-campus housing remains high, with new doctors and employees often forced to rent costly accommodation outside. Staff representatives say timely repair and maintenance could prevent further financial losses and ease the housing crunch. Proposals under consideration include earmarking a separate repair budget and launching large-scale renovations to bring the locked quarters back into use.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
With more than 3,000 monthly cases, dog bite menace in Chandigarh far from over
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