E-Paper
12 acres land demarcated in Saketri for transfer to Chandigarh faces green hurdle
UT officials to hold next meeting with their Haryana counterpart on August 10 Chandigarh: Though Haryana officers have demarcated 12 acres in Saketri village, which is to be handed over to the Chandigarh administration in lieu of 10 acres in Chandigarh near the IT Park road for an additional Haryana assembly building, the 12 acres land faces a green hurdle as the land falls in an eco-sensitive zone. UT officers will hold the next meeting with Haryana officers on August 10 in this regard
Additional Haryana assembly building
According to Supreme Court directions, no permanent structure can be constructed for any purpose within an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). Furthermore, no commercial construction is allowed within a 0.5 km radius outside the ESZ. From 0.5 km to 1.25 km, construction of low-density and low-rise buildings up to 15 feet is allowed, while beyond 1.25 km, construction of new buildings, including houses, is permitted.
A senior officer of the UT administration, who is dealing with the case, said that the 12 acres of land in Saketri village falls under the eco-sensitive zone, but the Haryana government has assured them that they will obtain all the necessary environmental clearances.
An official of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) said that the 12 acres, which falls in Haryana, adjoins Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, Chandigarh. The land will be of no use to them as it falls under the eco-sensitive zone. In October last year, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) turned down their project of a housing scheme at IT Park, stating that the area falls under the eco-sensitive zone. They are unsure how they will obtain clearance from the green ministry.
On July 9, officers from Haryana, along with UT officers, held the demarcation of 12 acres of land in Saketri village, which falls in Haryana, and even installed pillars at the site. The land is located at the rear of Hotel Lalit, which falls in Chandigarh.
The Chandigarh administration has decided to allot 10 acres in Chandigarh, near the IT park road, to Chandigarh railway station and give it to Haryana to construct an assembly in exchange for the 12 acres in Saketri.
On July 9, 2022, Union home minister Amit Shah announced the allocation of land for the Haryana assembly in Chandigarh at the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Jaipur. He was responding to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s demand for the state’s rights in the existing Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh that it shares with Punjab given the increase that will happen in the number of assembly seats after the 2026 delimitation exercise.
To be sure, it isn’t clear whether that exercise, which was supposed to be based on the 2021 decadal census (which has not yet begun) will happen in 2026. But if it does, Haryana, like many states that have seen an increase in population, will see the number of assembly constituencies rise from the current 90 to 126, and the number of Lok Sabha constituencies from 10 to 14.
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 the border state losing its grip over the UT.
