After a gap of four years, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is coming out with a general housing scheme in the southern belt of the city. An exercise to identify the land in Sectors 53 and 54 has already been carried out by housing board. Under the scheme, three-bedroom, two-bedroom and one-bedroom flats and dwelling units for economically weaker section will be offered. In the chunks of land (8.99 acre in Sector 53 and 31.8 acre in Sector 54) available with the CHB, construction of around 500 flats is being planned. Though the proposal has been pending for past two years, the UT is likely to announce the scheme on or before the Republic Day function as the administration has received wide criticism for not coming out with a general housing scheme while constructing around 25,000 one-room and two-room dwelling units for slum dwellers. Barring the Sector 51 scheme (floated in 2010) and Sector 63 scheme (floated in 2008), the CHB has been under criticism for constructing only around 4,000 houses between 1997 and 2005. Officials said though, the land for general housing in Sector 53 was 20 acre, a part was earmarked for the UT employees. Previously, the land for the UT employees was reserved in Sectors 52 and 56. For the A-category (three-bedroom flats), mostly to be allotted to the IAS, IPS and state civil services officers who have served in the UT, the Chandigarh Administration earmarked an additional 11.79-acre land out the total 20.77-acre land in Sector 53. Sources reveal that though the CHB had sent a proposal for general housing in Sector 53, in a meeting held under the then Secretary Housing it was decided to utilise a part of the pocket for planning three-bedroom houses, leaving only 8.94-acre land for general housing. As per the original plan, the Chandigarh Administration had earmarked 89.87-acre land in Sectors 53, 54 and 55 for the general housing scheme. Citing the preparation of the master plan for Chandigarh, the CHB stated that the parameters for planning the general housing scheme were still awaited.