Haryana says it’s ready to offer alternative land to Chandigarh amid eco-sensitive zone concerns
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, the 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.
Days after the UT administration raised objection over the 12 acres being offered to it in Saketri village of Panchkula, the Haryana government said it is prepared to give Chandigarh a different chunk near the city border if the land currently being offered falls in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
The land is intended to be transferred to the Chandigarh administration in exchange of the 10 acres that UT is giving to the state near the IT Park Road for construction of an additional Haryana assembly building.
The 12-acre plot being offered to Chandigarh is situated behind Hotel Lalit.
‘Land within in ESZ of no value’
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, the 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.
“This land holds no practical value as it is located within an eco-sensitive zone,” said an official of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB). Last October, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) rejected the CHB’s housing project in IT Park, citing the eco-sensitive zone classification.
UT adviser Dharam Pal reiterated, “We will not accept the land if it falls in the eco-sensitive zone as it is of no use to us. We have written to the Haryana government to clarify the status of the land.”
Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) administrator Sujan Singh said, “UT had raised an objection and we are looking into it. In case, the land falls in an eco-sensitive zone, we will offer them another chunk of land bordering Chandigarh as per the suitability of the UT administration.”
The UT administration had also written to the principal conservator of forests, Haryana, seeking clarity, on the status of the land.
The land exchange is taking place in response to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s demand for the state’s rights within the existing Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh, particularly in light of the projected increase in the number of assembly seats following the 2026 delimitation exercise. The announcement for the allocation of land to Haryana was made by Union home minister Amit Shah on July 9, 2022, during the 30th meeting of the Northern Zonal Council in Jaipur.
The decision to allocate land in Chandigarh to Haryana, a state carved out of Punjab in 1966, holds much political symbolism. Punjab has been opposing Haryana’s request for additional land, as Chandigarh serves as the shared capital of the two states. Any concessions granted to Haryana in Chandigarh are seen in Punjab as a weakening of the border state’s influence over the Union Territory.
