MHA turns downs Haryana govts demand for new assembly building in Chandigarh
CHANDIGARH: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has declined the proposal of the Haryana Government to construct a separate assembly building in Chandigarh. Highly placed sources said that the MHA has advised the senior officials of the Haryana Government not to pursue this matter any further. Sources further said that this kind of land swap might not fall within the purview of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952, which governs land use in Chandigarh. Earlier this year, the Chandigarh administration had rejected the proposal of the Haryana government to swap land, citing the absence of such a provision in the Chandigarh Master Plan-2031. In 2023, the Chandigarh Administration had agreed in principle to allot a 10-acre plot to the state government for constructing its separate Assembly building. Following this, a prime piece of land was identified near the railway light point The land was near the IT Park in the city, adjacent to a 200-foot-wide road that connects directly to Madhya Marg, which was valued at around Rs 640 crore. In return, the Haryana Government had offered 12 acres of land in the Saketri area of Panchkula to the Chandigarh Administration. However, the administration turned down the proposal for various reasons, including accessibility issues, a natural drain that divides the offered land into two parts, planning constraints, and it being a low-lying area, making it unsuitable for public projects. It was then pointed out that the two pieces of land were not comparable in terms of access and urban planning. According to sources, the main issue with the land in Saketri was the natural drain, which not only bifurcated the plot but also restricted construction in its vicinity. At present, both Punjab and Haryana share the assembly building located in the Capitol Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where new construction is not permitted. The Haryana governments demand for a new assembly building came after anticipation that the 2026 delimitation would increase the number of Assembly constituencies from 90 to 126, and the current state Assembly would not have space for expansion. Recently, the central government made a U-turn on two controversial issues to avoid any confrontation. A few days back, the Union Ministry of Education had withdrawn its notification to restructure the senate and syndicate of Panjab University after sustained political backlash in Punjab and the ongoing protests at the university. The MHA also clarified that no final decision has been taken on a proposal under Article 240, allowing the President to appoint a separate Lieutenant Governor for the Union Territory, which is now administered by the Punjab Governor.
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