Construction is rampant at Khuda Ali Sher, a peripheral village of the city that has been expanding quickly. Several farm houses, nurseries and other plots have come up in the area in just a short span. As one goes from Nayagon towards Khuda Ali Sher, an area that had green plush fields today has construction on both sides, be it nurseries or farm houses. A resident, on condition of anonymity, said the construction goes unchecked, to the extent that even tubewell boring is going on. “The carving and brazen advertised sale of colony-type plots in the agricultural belt of Khuda Ali Sher is a violation of the provisions of real estate regulatory legislation. Carving of pathways is not at all permissible as per the legislative mandate as adopted by the UT. The green cover is diminishing. Tubewell boring is also rampant at Khuda Ali Sher,” the resident said. The resident said that if the construction goes unchecked, it will turn into another Zirakpur-type urban jungle. He added, “Unchecked and unregulated fragmentation of residential plots in the agricultural belt in the time to come will make Khuda Ali Sher another Zirakpur-type urban jungle.” UT HAD RECENTLY ORDERED CHECKING CONSTRUCTIONS OUTSIDE LAL DORA Chandigarh Administration had told officials to ensure that no new further construction outside lal dora be done. Unauthorised constructions outside lal dora are making the city a mess with several people carrying out construction and expanding it. The lal dora is the red line that separates village habitation from the adjoining agricultural land in Chandigarh villages. The Chandigarh Administration will be coming up with a village development plan by end of this year. The Punjab New Capital Periphery Control Act restricts constructions on the periphery of around 16km (controlled area) of the city, which covers the areas outside the lal dora. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has also imposed restrictions on construction for protection of Sukhna catchment area. In January this year, there was speculation to regularise illegal constructions outside the lal dora. The officials were also directed to work on it and bring a policy on it. To formulate a land pooling and aggregation policy, the administration had roped in the Indian Institute of Human Settlement (IISH), Bengaluru. At the same time, the Deputy Commissioner’s office has also been directed to provide the demarcated lal dora areas to the planning department. The department of urban planning has already been asked to submit a detailed plan on village development.
