Mohali/Chandigarh, Feb 10: A district-wide investigation by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has uncovered nearly 200 unauthorized constructions, marking a shift toward stricter enforcement of land-use laws in SAS Nagar.
In a report submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, GMADA confirmed that its regulatory team identified 193 illicit structures. This disclosure follows a January 8 court order where judges demanded a fresh, district-wide reply after finding that GMADA’s original list of 28 violators in Siswan failed to match the Forest Department’s much larger tally.
“Based on the survey report, action under the provisions of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act has been initiated against the violators,” GMADA mentioned in its submission.
The authority noted that the discrepancy arose because previous affidavits were confined to specific villages rather than the entire district. To rectify this, the regulatory branch was ordered to cross-reference their data with the 182 defaulters originally highlighted by forest officials.
The High Court has been maintaining close watch over non-agricultural activities in environmentally sensitive areas like Siswan. The Bench previously noted that there “appears to be inconsistency” between departmental replies and sought clarity on whether protected forest zones were being encroached upon.
GMADA officials directly said that the exercise to map all unauthorized constructions on de-listed forest land is ongoing. They noted that the final district-wide list is expected to be finalized by the end of March. The authority mentioned that any construction raised without explicit permission in these zones violates the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act, which regulates development in the ten-mile radius surrounding the state capital.
