Elante’s illegal structures to face Chandigarh Administration's hammer today

The UT Administration has lowered the hammer on Elante Mall, one of North India’s most high-profile commercial landmarks, ordering the demolition and sealing of unauthorised constructions after the owners failed to remove sprawling violations despite repeated warnings.

The Estate Office has directed that demolition be executed on November 2, in what officials are calling a test case for enforcement against commercial misuse in the city.

The final demolition order, issued by SDM (East) Dr Khushpreet Kaur under the powers of the Estate Officer, declares that Elante’s custodian company, M/s CSI Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, failed to act on the two-month window given to rectify violations under the Chandigarh Estate Rules, 2007, and the Capital of Punjab (Development & Regulation) Act, 1952.

The order, a copy of which is with The Tribune, lists extensive encroachments and unauthorised conversions spread across nearly 28,000 sq ft of premium space in the complex. These include the conversion of 22,000 sq ft of parking into landscaped green area, an open café on 3,000 sq ft without approval, and a day care, staff mess and washrooms in the basement, all built in defiance of sanctioned plans.

“After providing proper and sufficient hearing, the SDM (East), exercising the powers of Estate Officer, has passed the demolition and sealing orders. The enforcement is scheduled for November 2,” confirmed Deputy Commissioner-cum-Estate Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav, who described the action as the culmination of due process following physical inspections, notices and hearings.

The demolition directive invokes Rule 10(iii) of the Chandigarh Estate Rules, authorising sealing or demolition where violations persist after due notice. It explicitly instructs the SDO (Buildings) to inspect the site at the end of the seven-day grace period and demolish “non-sanctionable violations”, depositing the cost with the owner or occupier.

Copies of the order have been marked to the Tehsildar (Enforcement), the Chandigarh SSP and the SHO of Industrial Area Phase-I police station with directions to paste the notice on site and file a compliance report. The matter is listed for review on November 11.

Officials said enforcement teams would seal and demolish structures that continue to stand in violation on Sunday morning. “All occupiers have been served notice. Non-removal of illegal portions within the stipulated period leaves the department with no option but coercive action,” an official involved in the operation said.

The case has been building for months. A show-cause notice issued on September 3 this year first flagged a long list of illegal alterations — from structural changes and storage sheds to temporary restaurants and reallocation of parking space. Elante’s representatives, including counsel Ruchi Sen, appeared before the Estate Office on September 24 seeking more time, but failed to produce proof of compliance before the final review.

Among the most glaring violations, according to the notice, were conversion of multiple parking zones (P1, P6, P9, P10, P24, P25, P32) into ornamental landscaping, eliminating hundreds of parking slots, a sprawling 3,000 sq ft café operating in open space near Hyatt Regency without any building plan approval, conversion of Hyatt Regency’s rear service area into commercial space under designer label “Anita Dongre”, creation of a day care, canteen, washrooms and service rooms in the basement — a floor legally restricted to parking use only, multiple temporary sheds, tensile fabric covers and storage spaces in violation of the approved plans.

The Estate Officer, in her order, observed that “no fruitful purpose will serve in lingering on the matter”, concluding that violations remain unrectified despite opportunities for compliance.