Plea to make CM party to Mohali resort issue

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

In yet another twist to the controversy over Badals’ resort, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice of motion to the State of Punjab for impleading the Chief Minister as a party in the case. A notice of motion has also been issued to the Punjab Urban Development and Planning Authority.

The controversy hovers around a chunk of land leading to a resort in Mohali, which is partly owned by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife, Union minister Harsimrat Kaur. The land was acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority. The matter was brought to the High Court’s notice by Dr Juveeza Chadha. In his petition, Dr Chadha had alleged that the land acquisition process was carried out in a hurried manner without following the requisite provisions of law.

He had also told the court that the 100-feet-wide and 1.3-km-long road was being laid through Majra village. Metro Eco Green Resorts at Palanpur village was located just about 2 km from where this road was to end, he had said.

The land acquisition process started in 2014 and was completed earlier this year. The petitioner then challenged the acquisition of portion measuring 7 kanal, 15 marlas for the construction of the New Master Plan road by GMADA. During the hearing, petitioner’s lawyer Rajiv Atma Ram alleged that provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency and Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, had not been followed in letter and spirit.

He alleged that the requisite 60 days’ time to file objections was not given. He also questioned how Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal presided over the meetings to clear such a project, to which the government counsel raised objections.