Gurgaon guesthouse permit to Vadra justified: Govt

The Haryana Urban Local Bodies (ULB) has justified the permission given to Robert Vadra to convert his two residential houses into guest houses in Mayfield Garden, after facing a barrage of queries from local residents and media in recent weeks.

The Haryana Urban Local Bodies (ULB) has justified the permission given to Robert Vadra to convert his two residential houses into guest houses in Mayfield Garden, after facing a barrage of queries from local residents and media in recent weeks.

Suspecting that the ULB had gone out of the way to grant permission for converting the two residential houses on plots N29 and N30 into a guest/boarding house in Mayfield Garden, Gurgaon, residents had questioned the department’s authority of granting the licence.

Brushing aside all allegations of favouring Vadra, P Raghavendra Rao, the financial commissioner of ULB said, “Our authority can’t be questioned. The Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994 was amended in February 2014, to empower the director, ULB to grant change of land use permissions for the controlled areas falling within municipal limits. These powers were earlier being exercised by DG (Town & Country Planning) under the provisions of the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restrictions of Un-regulated Development Act 1963.”

According to ULB, the T&CP notified a policy regarding setting up of guest houses in residential zones on December 2012 and as per this policy, vacant plots/built-up houses of 1,000 square yards to 2,000 square yards in HUDA sectors/ licensed colonies may be allowed to be convert into guest/boarding houses and two adjoining residential plots may also be clubbed together for such conversion.

“Robert Vadra applied in the office of District Town Planner of T&CP for conversion of Plots No N-29 and N-30, Mayfield Garden, Sector 51, Gurgaon on January 14, 2013. After amendments were carried out in the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act 1994, the case was transferred to the Directorate, ULB. After examining the case, permission was issued in accordance with the said policy and the Haryana Municipal Corporation Act, 1994,” said the ULB.

However, residents of Mayfield Garden are unhappy with clarifications. “The Haryana government has overruled many procedures in order to grant permission. I am preparing a counter reply of the ULB now,” said DC Yadav, Mayfield Garden resident.