2 min readChandigarhDec 17, 2010 02:13 AM IST
First published on: Dec 17, 2010 at 02:13 AM IST
Slamming the Haryana government for illegally acquiring land in a restricted area as well as allowing construction on it,the Punjab and Haryana High Court said the state blatantly ignored “national interest” for “personal interests”.
The High Court has now asked the Assistant Solicitor General of India,on the behalf of Ministry of Defence,the Commissioner and Secretary of local bodies as well as the Town and Country Planning Department,Haryana,to submit a report within two months on the land ownership,nature,extent,the date of construction and the reason for allowing it.
The land in question,measuring 30 acres,is close to the Air Force station ammunition depot in Gurgaon,which the state illegally acquired and released to private owners against the law. As per rules,no structure is allowed to come up within the 900-m periphery area of an ammunition depot,a restricted area.
The state had claimed that it wanted to construct an extension area for the Mata Sheetla Devi Temple,a nearby shrine which is visited by lakhs of pilgrims.
A division bench allowed the petitions filed by Varinder Kumar,a Gurgaon resident,and other owners of the land.
The petitioners alleged that the Haryana government not only illegally acquired the land in the restricted area,but also allowed illegal construction to be carried out by private individuals. They also alleged that the government did not issue public notices before acquisition.
“The court cannot turn a blind eye to the blatant inaction on the part of authorities… when the existence of the nation is at stake,no other consideration can be given weightage over and above it…” reads the strongly worded judgment.
The Municipal Corporation, Gurgaon,had initiated proceedings of acquisition in 2003. The state government,incidentally,exempted a few acres of land belonging to private individuals for reasons best known to it.
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