After putting the Sector-53 general housing scheme on hold, UT administrator Banwari Lal Purohit has now sought details from the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) on how it spent ₹1,000 crore on IT Park since 2005 that the board has sought back from the administration.
The directions came during a meeting between the administrator and UT officers at the UT Secretariat on Tuesday.
In April this year, the then CHB CEO, Yashpal Garg, had written a letter to the UT administration to take the 123 acres at Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park back and return ₹1,000 crore that the board had spent on it since 2005.
The prime land has been stuck in unending environmental and wildlife wrangles, leaving CHB’s ambitious IT Park Housing Scheme hanging in balance.
In October last year, the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) had refused to accord approval to the housing scheme, featuring 728 flats in three categories, 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.
Three months later, in January 2023, the ministry had asked UT to send a detailed justification for allowing the project, reviving hopes of the scheme becoming a reality. But despite UT’s response, which clarified that the project site is located 1.25 km beyond the ESZ, where construction is allowed, and that the project is approved in the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031, no further communication has been received.
{{/usCountry}}Three months later, in January 2023, the ministry had asked UT to send a detailed justification for allowing the project, reviving hopes of the scheme becoming a reality. But despite UT’s response, which clarified that the project site is located 1.25 km beyond the ESZ, where construction is allowed, and that the project is approved in the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031, no further communication has been received.
{{/usCountry}}In his letter to the UT estates secretary, the CHB CEO had shared that the board had invested ₹1,000 crore for various development works in the IT habitat, including construction of roads, construction of underground RCC cable trench (service duct), central green, sewer, storm and water line, etc. Apart from development works, certain consultancy works related to the project were also awarded. However, agreements of all such development/consultancy works had been closed, the letter had said.
Even, after repeated attempts, CHB CEO Purva Garg could not be contacted for comments.