New Haryana Assembly building hits UT Master Plan hurdle

The Haryana Government’s plan to construct a new Vidhan Sabha building in the city has hit the hurdle of the Chandigarh Master Plan 2031.

According to the Master Plan, the land under consideration and proposed to be transferred to the Haryana Government for the construction of the new Assembly building is meant for public/semi-public/institutional use for augmenting the health infrastructure.

“The Chandigarh Master Plan-2031 is a document adopted after much deliberations and notified following judicial interventions. It is an exhaustive document specifying end use of every inch of land, which has not only been identified/defined but also earmarked for particular purpose as well. The land under consideration and proposed to be transferred to Haryana is meant for augmentation of health infrastructure only. As such this land cannot be allotted to Haryana without approval, as per Master Plan 2031 which can be done after taking up the matter in Parliament only,” said RK Garg, president, Second Innings Association.

In totality, Chandigarh has 2987.92 acres of land, which is divided into 17 pockets with the description of use of land in each pocket.

“The land under consideration is meant for public/semi-public/institutional use for augmenting the health infra. There is no spare or reserve land other than 308.835 acres reserved in Pocket 3 (Sarangpur village) and Pocket 8 (Maloya),” he added.

The land measuring 10 acres proposed for is new Haryana Assembly building is located on Chandigarh-Kalka road in Pocket 14 and 15 of the Master Plan 2031. In pocket 14, land measuring 56.14 acre abutting Chandigarh-Kalka road is proposed for public/semi-public/institutional use to augment the health infrastructure with low-density and low-rise buildings only, he adds.

In pocket 15, there is 327.48 acre land adjoining IT Park, Phase I and II, and close to Mani Majra, railway line and Sukhna Choe. The 200 ft-wide road connecting the IT Park to the railway crossing cuts through the land and the land use of the pocket is proposed as IT for expansion/continuity of the existing IT complex under Phase 1 and 2 with provision of ancillary and other related use.

“As such, there is no land for the proposed project and there is no scope for any diversion of land from the earmarked purpose for the proposed allotment to the Haryana Government,” he said. The Haryana Government has proposed to swap 12 acres of land in Saketri with the UT Administration for the construction of the new Assembly building on 10 acres in the city.

The allocation of land for the Haryana Assembly building in Chandigarh was announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on July 9, 2022. The demand arose in view of the projected increase in the number of Assembly seats following the 2026 delimitation exercise.