Delhi HC cancels clearances for Tata Housing's Chandigarh project

Says project within catchment area of Sukhna lake, permissions given without considering eco-impact

Delhi high court on Wednesday cancelled government clearances to Tata Housing Development Company Limited’s Camelot project, saying that the necessary permissions had been given without proper consideration of environmental and town-planning laws.

The high court held that the high-rise township in Greater Mohali fell within the catchment area of Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake and the procedure for clearances had not been followed by the Punjab government and Nayagaon village panchayat. The Bench has, however, allowed the company to re-apply for permissions.

The issue was first considered by Punjab and Haryana high court after concerns over impact of the project on biodiversity and environment of the area (which includes Sukhna Lake and Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary). The court sided with the company in August 2013 and allowed the project to continue. 

The verdict was appealed in the Supreme Court, where petitioners said many politicians stood to gain from the project’s continuation. After considering the submissions, the apex court set aside the high-court order and transferred the case to the Delhi high court. 

The company had agreed to status quo on project till disposal of the Delhi high court petition. After hearing arguments, the court reserved its judgment on October 9, 2015. If you reserve judgment on something, you refuse to give an opinion about it until you know more about it.