Chandigarh-Ludhiana highway widening: HC orders status quo on land possession

Chandigarh, November 12

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Acting on a petition claiming absence of rehabilitation and resettlement award for the owners after the acquisition of their properties for widening, maintenance, management and operation of a national highway, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered status quo regarding to possession of land. The case pertains to the Chandigarh-Ludhiana highway.

The direction by the Bench of Justice Ritu Bahri and Justice Archana Puri will remain in force at least till December 7, when the case comes up for hearing. It came on a bunch of nine petitions filed by Harvir Singh and about 200 other landowners of Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana.

The issue before the Bench was whether non-preparation of rehabilitation scheme was justifiable after acquisition of houses for NH widening.

Counsel Charanpal Singh Bagri and Gurjit Kaur Jassar Bagri had submitted that the award had already been passed after the petitioners’ houses were acquired. But the authorities did not follow the procedure for preparation, approval and publication of rehabilitation award. — TNS