Chandigarh MC withdraws notice to lease out 33 acres in four villages

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 18

In a volte-face, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has withdrawn the open notice to lease out 33 acres of agriculture land in four villages of the city after councillors raised objections to the decision.

The issue was discussed at a meeting of the Congress-AAP alliance, which was attended by MP Manish Tiwari, chairman of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board and co-in-charge of city Aam Aadmi Party SS Ahluwalia and city Congress president HS Lucky.

Mayor Kuldeep Kumar said recently, a proposal was passed to lease out 33 acres in four villages — Chahar Tarf Burail, Khuda Lahora, Khudda ali Sher and Dadu Majra — which are under the MC. The department issued a tender for bidding without taking any necessary action. In this regard, he spoke to councillors and officials of the MC and asked them to stop the tendering process.

Dr Ahluwalia said the matter was discussed with Tiwari and Lucky during the meeting today. After a thorough discussion on leasing out 33 acres, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar was requested to consider withdrawing it, after which he ordered the officials to stop the process with immediate effect.

The bidding was to be held on June 21. The MC had fixed a reserve price of Rs 30,000 per acre per annum for the land in Chahar Taraf Burail and Dadu Majra, Rs 25,000 per acre in Khuda Lahora and Rs 35,000 per acre in Khuda ali Sher for the open auction to be held at the MC office.

At Chahar Taraf Burail, 5.75 acre land was available for auction for a total reserve price of Rs 1.72 lakh. For 15.5 acres at Khuda Lahora, the reserve price was 3.87 lakh and for 5 acres in Khuda ali Sher, the reserve price had been fixed at Rs 1.75 lakh. At Dadu Majra, 7 acre land was to be put up for action for a reserve price of Rs 2.10 lakh.

The decision was opposed by AAP’s own senior leader Prem Garg and BJP councillors, expressing apprehensions that allottees may grab the land over the years. A delegation of BJP councillors and leaders, led by UT BJP president Jatinder Pal Malhotra, met UT Adviser Rajeev Verma and requested him to put on hold the auction notice for 33 acres on June 21. They said the agenda to this effect was passed on June 11 by the MC, which was ruled by AAP and Congress, an in no time the open auction was called on June 21. “The councillors have raised legal issue in the matter, i.e. the minutes of the meeting are yet to be approved, still the MC is going to lease out the land,” said the BJP councillors in a representation submitted to the Adviser.

“The present agenda regarding the lease, which has been passed, should be put on hold, suggestions/objections should be called from all councillors and even general public and thereafter, a proper decision should be taken in the larger interest of the public. The Administration should not allow the AAP-Congress-led MC to act in an arbitrary manner and putting the land of the MC at risk. The situation is not urgent but emergent as the auction notice of June 21 needs to be put on hold at this moment,” they requested.

Malhotra said, “It is illegal to give away Rs 1,800 crore worth land like this.”

Tender floated without taking necessary action: Mayor

Mayor Kuldeep Kumar said recently, a proposal was passed to lease out 33 acres in four villages — Chahar Tarf Burail, Khuda Lahora, Khudda ali Sher and Dadu Majra — which are under the MC. The department issued a tender for bidding without taking any necessary action. He spoke to councillors and officials of the MC and later asked them to stop the tendering process.

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