E-Paper
Chandigarh: No word from Centre on Haryana’s Saketri land denotification
A senior officer of Haryana, who is dealing with the project said, “We had written to the Union ministry in August but have so far not got any reply from the ministry
Blurb: The additional Haryana assembly building project continues to remain in limbo
With the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) yet to de-notify 12 acres of land in Saketri, Panchkula, falling under the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), and the Haryana government failing to find any other suitable alternative for the land exchange with Chandigarh, the construction of the additional Haryana assembly building remains in limbo.
A senior officer of Haryana, who is dealing with the project said, “We had written to the Union ministry in August but have so far not got any reply from the ministry. Also, we are yet to find any other suitable site to exchange.”
Chandigarh deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said, “We have not got any update from the Haryana government regarding the project.”
The Haryana government had planned to allot the 12-acre land in Saketri to the UT administration in exchange for the 10 acres in Chandigarh near the IT Park road where it will construct an additional assembly premises. But the Chandigarh administration stated that it will not proceed with the land exchange unless an environmental clearance is obtained for the land in Saketri village, as it falls in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). Following this, the Haryana government wrote to the Union ministry to de-notify the land.
Haryana government also assured them to find another suitable site bordering Chandigarh, but they are yet to earmark it.
As per Supreme Court directives, permanent structures cannot be constructed within an ESZ for any purpose. Moreover, no commercial construction is allowed within a 0.5 km radius outside the ESZ. In the range of 0.5 km to 1.25 km, construction of low-density and low-rise buildings up to 15 feet is permissible. Beyond 1.25 km, new building construction, including houses, is allowed.
The land exchange is taking place in response to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s demand for the state’s rights within the existing Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh, particularly in light of the projected increase in the number of assembly seats after the 2026 delimitation exercise. The announcement for the allocation of land to Haryana was made by Union home minister Amit Shah on July 9, 2022, during the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Jaipur.
The decision to allot Chandigarh land to Haryana, which was carved out of Punjab in 1966, for the additional assembly complex carries huge political symbolism.
Punjab has been opposing Haryana’s demand for additional land as Chandigarh is the joint capital of the two states. Any concession to Haryana in Chandigarh is perceived in Punjab as a weakening of the border state’s influence over the Union territory.
