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Additional Haryana assembly building: Green nod needed before proceeding, Chandigarh tells Haryana
During a meeting held on Thursday, chaired by deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, the Haryana officials submitted a non-encumbrance certificate and a demarcation report for the 12-acre land, located near the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park in Chandigarh
The UT administration has conveyed to the Haryana government that it will not proceed further with the exchange of land for an additional Haryana assembly building in Chandigarh unless an environmental clearance is obtained for the land in Saketri village.
The Haryana government will be allotting 12 acres in Saketri to UT in exchange for 10 acres in Chandigarh near the IT Park road where it will construct an additional assembly premises.
During a meeting held on Thursday, chaired by deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh, the Haryana officials submitted a non-encumbrance certificate and a demarcation report for the 12-acre land, located near the Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park in Chandigarh.
Singh said although both reports had been received, the requirement for an environmental clearance certificate had been emphasised due to the land’s location in eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
He said the project can only progress once the environmental clearance was obtained. Thereon, a file will be submitted to the central government for final approval.
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.
On July 9, officers from Haryana, along with UT officers, had conducted demarcation of the 12-acre land. A total of 18 pillars were erected to mark the land.
In July 2022, Union home minister Amit Shah had announced 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.
Following delimitation, 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 the 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.
