SC asks Haryana for status report on Reliance SEZ

The Supreme Court Thursday asked Haryana to file the latest status report on Reliance Haryana SEZ (Special Economic Zone) for which 1,383 acres of land in Gurgaon was earmarked.

The apex court bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam, Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Shiva Kirti Singh asked Haryana to file the report after it observed that Haryana State Industrial Development Corporation has not even filed its response to the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) by Kuldip Bishnoi, who had challenged the central as well as Haryana SEZ Act.

Kuldip Bishnoi is a leader of the Haryana Vikas Party, and son of former Haryana chief minister late Bhajan Lal.

The court order came when senior counsel Amarender Saran told the court that Reliance had withdrawn from the project, and the 1,383 acres of land for the proposed SEZ has been returned to the state government.

The central government had given in-principle approval for the SEZ June 6, 2006, and it was notified Nov 11, 2007.

Haryana, by allocating 1,383.68 acres of land, picked up 30 percent stake in the SEZ, which then came to be known as Reliance Haryana SEZ. The allotment was made from about 12,000 acres acquired by the state government in Gurgaon in 2003.

Reliance, however, offered to return the land Jan 17, 2012, and it was de-notified June 12, 2013.

Besides challenging the transfer of the 1,383.68 acres to Reliance Haryana SEZ, Kuldip Bishnoi also contended this land was part of a green belt, and could not be used for any other purpose.

Haryana said that by the subsequent NCR Regional Plans, the land use had been changed and it could now be used to set up industries.