Chandigarh administrator for regularising constructions outside lal dora

Unauthorised construction picked up pace after the city’s villages were transferred to the municipal corporation

In response to large scale violations outside the lal dora in villages, the Chandigarh administration is mulling to regularise such illegal construction.

Architects and city’s heritage conservationists have been against such regularisation as they feel this will alter the city’s planned character (HT FILE)

In a high-powered meeting, UT administrator VP Singh Badnore directed senior officials to work on regularisation of such construction. The lal dora (red line) separates village habitation from adjacent agricultural land.

A senior UT official privy to the development said, “The administrator stated that since there is a lot of construction outside the lal dora area, the administration should formulate a scheme to regularise these.”

UT home secretary Arun Gupta has been asked to prepare a note on the regularisation of such constructions.

A detailed discussion on this subject will be held during the meeting of the administrator’s advisory council or its sub-committees. The contentious issue has elicited strong views from supporters and detractors of the plan.

Political parties and village residents have been consistently asking for the extension of lal dora and regularisation of constructions outside it. Architects and city’s heritage conservationists are demanding that these illegal constructions should be removed to protect the city’s character.

In one such letter, highlighting the problem, the urban planning department stated, “Illegal constructions are mushrooming against the notified Chandigarh Master Plan – 2031, which had strongly recommended for planned development of the peri-urban areas of Chandigarh.”

The department has also warned of “serious consequences” to allowing such unplanned construction, stating that these will change the character of the planned city.

“Most city villages and semi-urban areas, which include Kishangarh-Manimajra, Hallomajra, Maloya, areas around Bapu Dham near Sukhna Choe, Khuda Ali Sher, Kaimbwala, etc have unauthorised constructions, which have taken the form of colonies in recent months with land mafia becoming active,” said a senior UT official, adding, “While earlier, the violators used to just renting out spaces in illegal constructions, recently, sale of smaller plots has also come to light.”

Unauthorised construction picked up pace after the city’s villages were transferred to the municipal corporation, said the official.

Significantly, the constructions are also in violation of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, 1952, which is applicable to areas outside a village’s inhabited area.

Regularisation scheme for CHB

The administrator directed Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to examine the demand of residents for one-time regularisation of additional construction on the pattern of Delhi Development Authority. Residents have been long demanding regularisation of construction beyond the original and stipulated CHB regulations. The CHB has also come under criticism for issuing notices against such construction. Recently, local BJP leaders had staged protests outside the CHB office after notices on illegal constructions were issued.