E-Paper
IT Park housing scheme: Green ministry asks Chandigarh admn for reasons why it should grant nod
Three months ago, the ministry had rejected the highly anticipated project in Chandigarh, saying it falls in the eco-sensitive zone of the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary
Three months after stalling Chandigarh Housing Board’s much-anticipated general housing scheme at IT Park, the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) has now asked the UT administration to send a detailed justification for allowing the project, reviving hopes of the scheme becoming a reality.
In October last year, the ministry had refused to accord approval to the housing scheme, stating that the project site falls in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Sukhna wildlife sanctuary. Following the rejection, the UT administration had sent a fresh proposal to the ministry for reconsideration.
CHB chief executive officer (CEO) Yashpal Garg said the ministry had sought a detailed justification for granting nod to the project: “We are hopeful of getting the approval, as the project is approved in the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031. Also, the project site is located 1.25 km beyond the ESZ, where construction is allowed.”
In 2017, Chandigarh had declared an area varying from 2 km to 2.75 km from the sanctuary boundary that falls within UT as ESZ, which was notified by the MoEF the same year.
In the works since 2020
The housing scheme, featuring 728 flats in three categories, was first approved by the CHB board of directors in December 2020.
Classified into 28 four-bedroom, 448 three-bedroom, and 252 two-bedroom flats, which will come up in seven-storey towers, the scheme has been planned on two IT Park plots, measuring 10.51 and 6.43 acres.
The towers will have two basements with the provision of parking two cars for each flat in addition to surface parking for visitors.
Though the exact rates of flats are yet to be decided, the cost of a four-bedroom flat is expected to be ₹2.75 crore, ₹1.9 crore for the three-bedroom flat and ₹1.3 crore for the two-bedroom flat – all steeper than the last general housing scheme in Sector 53 that had to be scrapped due to poor public response.
The 16-acre land for the IT Park project is part of the 123 acres that CHB retrieved from Parsvnath Developers in 2015 after a long-drawn legal battle.
What do the ESZ norms say
According to the Supreme Court directions, no permanent structure can be constructed for whatever purpose within an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
Further, no commercial construction is allowed in the 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 allowed.
According to CHB, the IT Park project falls 1.25 km beyond Sukhna wildlife sanctuary’s ESZ.
