Haven’t allotted land to Haryana for new assembly complex: UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria
Punjab and Haryana currently share the Vidhan Sabha complex in Sector 1, Chandigarh. In 2022, the then Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had pushed for the state’s rights in the existing Vidhan Sabha, in light of a potential increase in assembly seats after the 2026 delimitation exercise.
Amid the political slugfest between Punjab and Haryana over land allotment to the latter for construction of a new assembly complex in Chandigarh, UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Sunday said no land has been allotted for the purpose yet.
“We have not allotted any land in Chandigarh for the construction of Haryana’s new assembly. The proposal from the Haryana government has been pending with us for a long time, but we have not made any decision on it. Unless we decide, how can we proceed further?” said Kataria, who is also the governor of Punjab, on the sidelines of a private event in Mohali.
Punjab and Haryana currently share the Vidhan Sabha complex in Sector 1, Chandigarh. In 2022, the then Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had pushed for the state’s rights in the existing Vidhan Sabha, in light of a potential increase in assembly seats after the 2026 delimitation exercise.
In July 2023, the UT administration had agreed in-principle to allot 10 acres near the railway lightpoint, adjacent to IT Park, for Haryana’s new assembly premises. In return, Haryana had offered 12 acres in Saketri village, Panchkula, Haryana, adjacent to the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park.
The proposal was stalled after the UT urban planning department found during a survey that the land offered by Haryana was low-lying, had a natural drain (nullah) running through it, lacked proper access, and fell within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ). The UT, in its report, had concluded, “...the proposed exchange does not align with urban planning principles, as the two parcels of land differ significantly in terms of location, access, and usability”.
However, Haryana asserts that the land now lies outside the ESZ as the Union ministry of environment, forest, and climate change had on November 11 granted environmental clearance for the 12 acres of land in Saketri. Haryana claims that the ministry’s notification designates the 1 km to 2.035 km radius around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary as ESZ but excludes the 12 acres in question.
Political row
A war of words had broken out between the leaders of Punjab and Haryana last week. The AAP government in Punjab had submitted a memorandum to governor Kataria, stating, “Chandigarh solely belongs to Punjab and not an inch of land will be allowed to be given to Haryana for the construction of its assembly building in the UT.”
Responding to this, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini had said, “I want to tell the leaders of Punjab that Haryana is Punjab’s younger brother. Why are they spoiling the brotherhood? First, they stopped SYL water and now they are raking up Vidhan Sabha issue.”
‘Disturbs Le Corbusier’s Master Plan’
Chandigarh-based senior architect Surinder Bahga criticised the proposal, stating, “There is no provision for such land-swapping in the Master Plan 2031. Le Corbusier, the architect of Chandigarh, envisioned the city as a human body, with the Capitol Complex as the head, the City Centre as the heart, and the Leisure Valley as the lungs. Any land swapping would disrupt this concept. Today, they are asking for an assembly; tomorrow, it will be a high court or a secretariat.”
A senior official from the town planning department added that the 10-acre site near the railway light point is valued at approximately ₹1,000 crore, whereas the land offered by Haryana does not meet this valuation.
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