Centre directs Chandigarh to put land acquisitions on hold

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has directed the Chandigarh Administration to put on hold further land acquisitions.

In a communication received by the Chandigarh Administration, the ministry has directed that in future such initiatives should be vetted by a co-ordination committee and the administrator’s advisory council, which should have representatives from the urban development and home affairs ministries.

It has also asked the Chandigarh Administration to implement the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007, and get its Rehabilitation Policy vetted by the ministry concerned.

Further, the Ministry of Home Affairs has also decided to have a special audit of the projects, which are under process of the Chandigarh Administration. The audit would involve issues of inadequate compensation to farmers on land acquisition, complaints about exemption, violations, allotment of land to IT Park projects and the status of Medi-City, Film City and Theme-cum-Amusement Park.