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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 10
The change of land use (CLU) granted to a cement factory allegedly against Sangrur’s sanctioned master plan has come under the judicial scanner with a nonagenarian and six other residents moving the Punjab and Haryana High Court for quashing the same.
A Division Bench of Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Harsh Bunger issued a notice of motion to Punjab through its Chief Secretary, Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion (PBIP), Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Union of India, the cement factory and other respondents.
The Bench also issued notice regarding stay after the petitioners, among other things, sought directions to the respondents to maintain status quo regarding the land for which the CLU had already been granted. The matter will now come up for further hearing on October 12 along with a related petition.
In their petition, Harbinder Singh Sekhon, 90, and other petitioners contended that the CLU dated December 13, 2021, granted by the PBIP to the respondent-cement factory was patently illegal and “incorrect in nature” as it was against the sanctioned master plan. Besides this, it was also against the guidelines laid down by the Punjab Pollution Control Board.
Appearing on the petitioners’ behalf, senior advocate RS Bains with counsel Aarushi Garg contended that the CLU for setting up the red category factory on agriculture land notified in the master plan was also “highly dangerous” to the environment as well as the people living in the vicinity.
The petitioners added the CLU was granted even though amendment was not carried out in any manner in the master plan to include red category industries in the notified agriculture land.
“The water requirement of such a cement factory was calculated to be 350 kilolitre per day and the source was stated to be ground water. This would have a detrimental impact on the whole lot of surrounding villages, which will have no ground water left in the times to come,” it was submitted.
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