E-Paper
Additional assembly land in Chandigarh: Amid eco-sensitive zone concerns, Haryana writes to green ministry
After offering to provide a different chunk of land to the Chandigarh administration as part of the land exchange for an additional Haryana assembly building in its capital, the state government has now written to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to de-notify the 12 acres of land in Saketri, Panchkula, originally identified for the deal.
After offering to provide a different chunk of land to the Chandigarh administration as part of the land exchange for an additional Haryana assembly building in its capital, the state government has now written to the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) to de-notify the 12 acres of land in Saketri, Panchkula, originally identified for the deal.
Earlier this month, the UT administration had conveyed to the Haryana government that it will not proceed further with the exchange of land unless an environmental clearance is obtained for the land in Saketri village, as it falls in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
Haryana had then offered to provide another chunk of land bordering Chandigarh as per the suitability of the local administration if the ESZ issue was not sorted out.
The Haryana government plans to allot the 12-acre land in Saketri to the Chandigarh administration in exchange for 10 acres in Chandigarh near the IT Park road where it will construct an additional assembly premises.
A senior Haryana officer, who is dealing with the matter, said the principal conservator of forests, Haryana, had written to the green ministry to de-notify the land falling under ESZ.
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 the 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.
