Chandigarh Administrator Banwarilal Purohit questions CHB over approvals for housing plans

Dushyant Singh Pundir

Chandigarh, October 19

In a recent development, UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit has raised concerns over the Chandigarh Housing Board’s (CHB) expenditure of Rs 15 crore on the IT Park housing schemes without seeking necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.

In October last year, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) had declined to grant approval for two housing schemes, but before this, the CHB had already spent Rs 15 crore.

Ministry’s objections

• Potential disruption in the path of migratory birds and environmental impact caused by high-rises, waste generation, noise and air pollution in the vicinity of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.

General housing scheme

• Under the self-financing general housing scheme at the IT Park, the CHB had planned to offer 728 dwelling units of various categories, including four-bedroom, three-bedroom and two-bedroom units costing Rs 2.75 crore, Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 1.30 crore, respectively.

CHB’s contention

• Pursuing its case, the Chandigarh Housing Board contended that the project area was situated nearly 1.25 km from the eco-sensitive zone of the sanctuary where construction is permissible.

According to sources, Purohit questioned the CHB authorities regarding the lack of approvals from the monitoring committee for the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) besides environment and wildlife clearances.

The sources said the funds were spent on various works, including the construction of roads, underground RCC cable trench (service duct), central green areas, sewer, storm, water supply lines, project drawings, consultancy services related to the project etc. However, a senior official asserted that all necessary approvals had been obtained from the authorities concerned.

In April, the CHB had written to the UT Administration, urging it to take back 123 acres of prime land of the IT Park and refund Rs 1,000 crore that the CHB had spent on it since 2005.

Recently, the UT Administration had decided to halt two major projects at IT Park, comprising a general housing scheme and a government housing project. This decision came after repeated efforts to secure environmental clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change remained unsuccessful.

The CHB had submitted the case of both projects for reconsideration. The general housing scheme, which was almost finalised, was to come up on 16.6 acres of land with an estimated cost of Rs 643 crore, while the government flats were planned on 6.73 acres.

The development has led to uncertainty over the fate of the entire 123 acres earmarked for development by the Chandigarh Housing Board. Additionally, plans for a five-star hotel site, a hospital and a school, all part of the CHB’s expansion vision, now hang in the balance.

The ministry had initially raised objections over the projects, emphasising the potential disruption of the path of migratory birds and the environmental impact caused by high-rises, waste generation, noise and air pollution in the vicinity of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.

The CHB had contended that the project area was situated nearly 1.25 km beyond the eco-sensitive zone of the sanctuary where construction was permissible. In 2017, Chandigarh had declared an area ranging from 2 km to 2.75 km from the sanctuary boundary as an eco-sensitive zone, which was subsequently notified by the ministry. However, the development of this area had been in limbo, as wildlife clearance from the UT Administrator was granted, but the final approval from the Union Ministry was denied.

Under the self-financing general housing scheme at Rajiv Gandhi Technology Park, the CHB had planned to offer 728 dwelling units of various categories, including four-bedroom, three-bedroom and two-bedroom units costing around Rs 2.75 crore, Rs 1.90 crore and Rs 1.30 crore, respectively.