A political row has erupted in Chandigarh following the administration’s decision to substantially hike the charges for converting leasehold properties to freehold — a move that will come into effect from June 30.The decision has faced the Congress’s criticism, while the BJP has responded by questioning the role of the city’s Congress MP.Under the revised policy, the conversion charges will now be linked to the collector rates, which were last revised on April 1. These charges will automatically adjust with future revisions of collector rates, making conversions progressively more expensive. The new rates are expected to make property conversions costlier in the northern sectors of Chandigarh as compared to the southern ones.This is the first revision in conversion charges since 2017. The rate hike was proposed by the Estate Office earlier this month and has since received approval from the Chandigarh Administration. The formal notification is expected shortly, and the revision is being undertaken within the framework of a 2017 notification.H S Lucky, president, Chandigarh Pradesh Congress Committee, termed the hike “arbitrary, unjust, and financially burdensome”. “After a threefold increase in property tax, rising electricity bills, and inflated water charges, the administration has now issued another draconian order. This decision will break the backbone of middle-class families, senior citizens, and small property owners,” he said.He alleged that the BJP-led administration implemented the hike without public consultation and warned that the move would impact thousands of residents waiting for regularisation of their properties. “Linking commercial conversion charges to collector rates is completely unjustified,” Lucky said, demanding an immediate rollback and a thorough review of the policy with input from public representatives, RWAs, and legal experts.However, the BJP Chandigarh, has hit back, calling the Congress’s criticism politically motivated. BJP Chandigarh media in-charge Sanjeev Rana questioned how the Congress could distance itself from such policy matters when the city’s MP — Manish Tewari — belongs to their party.Story continues below this ad“Lucky seems to forget that Manish Tewari is the MP from Chandigarh. If he participates in key administrative meetings where these policies are discussed, how can Congress now feign ignorance,” asked Rana.The BJP further alleged that the Congress’s administrative ambiguity since winning the Lok Sabha seat had led to confusion in governance, with some residential colonies reportedly falling under Punjab’s influence. Rana demanded clarity on whether Tewari had objected to or approved the conversion charges in meetings with the administration.“It is unfortunate that the Congress prefers empty rhetoric while the BJP focuses on responsible, citizen-centric governance. If the Congress opposes the decision, they must first explain their MP’s stand on it,” said Rana.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:chandigarh