The Panchkula administration has proposed a steep 162% hike in collector rates for MDC sectors 4, 5, and 6 to align them with current market values.The Panchkula administration has proposed a steep hike in collector rates for Mansa Devi Complex (MDC)’s sectors 4, 5 and 6, amounting to 162 per cent compared to charges fixed 16 months ago in December 2024. At that time, the rates stood at ₹66,000 per square metre, which were revised to ₹99,000 in August 2025.Now the administration has proposed a further increase to ₹1,73,250 per square metre. If approved, the new rates will take effect from April 1 this year.Similarly, sectors 10 and 11 of Panchkula are expected to see a 140 per cent hike compared to December 2024. The collector rates there were ₹60,000 per square metre, raised to ₹90,000 in August 2025, and are now proposed at ₹1,44,000 per square metre.Panchkula Property Dealers’ Association chairman Sunil Sahni noted that several areas have seen sharp increases in a short span. He explained that many localities have witnessed hikes of up to 75 per cent within just eight months. “Collector rates in sectors 6, 7, 8 and 9, as well as MDC’s sectors 2, 4 and 5, along with a few other residential and commercial areas, have been proposed to rise by 75 per cent. In some pockets, however, the proposed increase is only around 15 per cent,” Sahni said.A senior officer said that the move is necessary to narrow the gap between collector rates and actual market values of both residential and commercial properties. Government sources said the proposed rates were determined based on recent real estate transactions in the respective areas, though this process has also led to anomalies in some places.However, Sunil Sahni said: “In August 2025, the collector rates in Panchkula were increased up to 50 per cent and now another up to 75 per cent hike has been proposed. In a span of just eight months, the real estate market has not increased by 125 per cent here. This move will hit the buyers who wish to buy properties in the urban areas while it will benefit the private builders who are developing new colonies outside the main city.”Opposing the steep hike, Sahni argued that annual collector rate revisions should not exceed 5–10 per cent. He added, “Currently, the real estate market is already facing uncertainty due to the international developments.” He also expressed resentment over the limited time given to file objections, noting: “Earlier, we used to get time of nearly one month to file objections but in August 2025 and this time, the administration has given us effectively time of just one day to file objections if the holidays are excluded.”Story continues below this adThe Panchkula Property Dealers’ Association has lodged formal objections against the proposed hike for 2026–2027. In a letter to the deputy commissioner, association president Rajesh Dhanda wrote: “This sudden and excessive increase is not relevant to the present market scenario. In fact, market sentiment has already weakened and prices have softened due to ongoing uncertainties. Such a sharp hike will adversely affect the property business in Panchkula and discourage genuine buyers. Investors are already diverting towards Punjab due to the previous increase, and another steep revision will accelerate this trend.”Dhanda also demanded a minimum of 30 days’ notice before implementation, so that ongoing deals and agreements can be completed without hardship to the public.The last revision, effective August 1, 2025, had raised collector rates between 10 and 50 per cent across urban and rural areas. Prior to that, rates were revised on December 1, 2024, after being postponed earlier that year due to Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. In August 2025, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini told the Assembly that the state had been divided into 2.46 lakh segments to determine collector rates, with increases of only 10 per cent in nearly 72 per cent of those segments. Saini had explained: “This entire process is based on a data-driven and rational formula, under which the top 50 per cent of property registries in each segment were analysed. In areas where the registry value was 200 per cent higher than the collector rate, the maximum increase applied was 50 per cent. Despite this adjustment, collector rates in most areas still remain significantly below actual market prices.”Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:chandigarh