Chandigarh Administration's green belt plan behind Sector 22 houses challenged

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 3

A resident of a heritage government house in Sector 22-A has challenged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court the UT Administration’s development plan of making a green belt at the rear of some residences.

Taking up the matter, the High Court has issued a notice to the Chandigarh Administration and the Municipal Corporation.

Petitioner Gianender Ahlawat submitted that some of these houses (from number 21 to 34) were lying vacant for decades because of overcrowded road abutting the same, nuisance of illegal vendors in the area, illegal market parking and absence of concrete motorable road towards the main gates of these houses. The non-occupancy of these heritage houses was causing recurring financial loss to the state exchequer. The petitioner stated that the residents had already sent a detailed representation dated November 8 to the Adviser against the proposed development plan, a copy of which was annexed with the petition.

The residents also formed a group, Heritage Protection Group, which has been fighting to curb the menace of illegal vendors and also filed a writ petition in the High Court.

After representing to the Administration/MC and filing of writ petitions in the High Court by the Heritage Protection Group, the area has become habitable and much better than earlier. Now, some of the vacant heritage houses were occupied by government employees after due allotments.

“The appellant and other residents have made repeated requests to the Chandigarh Administration, but the respondents have been ignoring the demand to lay a motorable road for entry of vehicles to house number 21-34 connecting to other government houses citing heritage planning of this area. However, now the planning department of the respondent Administration has approved an illegal, impractical and infeasible green belt grilling the residents of the heritage houses number 21 to 34 and blocking their access to other government houses of the vicinity,” he added.

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