Hold joint meet on holistic development plan, Punjab and Haryana High Court directs Chandigarh Administration, IIT-Roorkee

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that a joint meeting between its building committee, IIT-Roorkee and UT Administration be held on November 27 to iron out the creases which exist in the path of executing its holistic development plan.

The Bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Anil Kshetarpal also emphasised the need for a “positive mind” in resolving the issues around the execution of critical projects, including the construction of slip roads, heritage conservation efforts, and the allotment of land for administrative purposes.

The Bench was hearing pleas seeking directions to the Union of India, the Union Territory of Chandigarh and other respondents to expedite the High Court’s “holistic development plan” for reducing the load on the existing building.

The Bench made it clear that the meeting would include representatives of the IIT-Roorkee, the UT Administration, and the Registrar of High Court Building Committee. The direction came after Additional Solicitor-General of India Satya Pal Jain suggested the joint meeting.

The Bench also directed the UT Transport Department secretary to be made a respondent in the matter, ensuring that all relevant parties were present to resolve outstanding issues regarding road construction, parking spaces, and the impact on heritage sites.

Jain, during the course of hearing, assured the Bench that a decision would be taken by the competent authority within seven days on conversion of forest to non-forest land. The assertion came less than two months after the court expressed hope that the Union of India would take swift action to address the diversion of forest land near the Rock Garden, which had been causing traffic congestion around the court complex.

Regarding the creation of additional parking space behind the Haryana MLA Hostel, the UT Administration assured the court that the work was progressing and would be completed by November 20. The court also reviewed the progress on the creation of a service road parallel to Uttar Marg on the northern side.

The UT Administration referred to a tentative report submitted by the IIT-Roorkee, which outlined three pending key aspects — the finalisation of impact assessments after stakeholder consultations, results and recommendation and the submission of a heritage impact assessment report. As such, the court opted to wait for the final report from the IIT-Roorkee before passing any further orders.

The court also reviewed the issue of allotting a building in Sector 17, Chandigarh, for its administrative branches. The UT Administration confirmed that an allotment letter would be issued within 15 days, prompting the court to defer any further orders on the matter.

The court was informed by the UT that the proposal for constructing a verandah in front of court room number one had been referred to the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee and the Heritage Foundation. The Administration assured the court that the drawing for the verandah would be sent to the Archaeological Survey of India in the absence of response within 10 days.

The court warned that failure to comply would lead to a writ of mandamus compelling the UT Administration to proceed with the construction. On the construction of slip roads at the junction of Uttar Marg and Jan Marg, the UT counsel told the Bench that the work, including widening of slip roads, the road near the Rock Garden entry point and the entry road itself, would be completed by March next year.

Before parting, the court further instructed the UT Administration to file fortnightly progress reports on the execution of the works as per the timelines provided. The matter will now come up on November 29 for further hearing.