Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Thursday alleged the SAD-BJP-led Punjab Government of permitting construction of Metro Eco Green Resort, Pallanpur, belonging to the Badal family, by violating the State policy regarding Eco Tourism and other norms and even by concealing various facts on files.
“With permission of State Government, this land was diverted from reserved forest land for construction of Metro Eco Green Resort,” alleged RTI activist and party’s state RTI Wing’s co-convener Dinesh Chadha.
He revealed that construction of this resort, “in illegal manner”, was against the environment norms and even against the rights of local area people and Kandi area residence.
“In the case put up by Punjab Government to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest for diversion of this land from forest land, it was mentioned that the land is flat agricultural field and no green tree is required to be felled for establishing resort,” he pointed.
Chadha said that the Government mentioned that the resort will adopt the existing greenery but in contradiction to this claim of applicant and State Government, the revenue document with the same proposal itself show that at the time of sending proposals, the concerned land was not flat agricultural land because in fard jamabandi attached with the proposal the type of land is mentioned as Baag Kinnu.
“In this way, the State Government for seeking permission to divert this land from forest land for construction of this resort concealed that there is Baag Kinnu in land and mentioned that this is flat agricultural field,” he added.
Chadha added that in a notification by Punjab Tourism Department dated December 7, 2010, it is specifically mentioned that the maximum limit of the project in private land would be 2.5 acres. “This notification is also part of the file on which State Government recommended the case of this resort to the Union Ministry but instead of 2.5 acres, this resort has been constructed in about 20 acres,” he added.
AAP leader further alleged that ignoring Punjab Eco Tourism Policy (2009), the Metro Eco Green city of Badals has been constructed on commercial considerations in collaboration with The Oberai’s instead of improving economic condition of local residents as the policy demanded, and also violating another provision which forbids construction of basement in eco-tourism project.
As per norms in Eco Tourism Project, the infrastructure should be eco-friendly, “but in contrary to these norms, in this project, concrete material has been used in a very large quantity”, said Chadda.
He said that the ruling family themselves constructed a very big resort violating the norms and captured the whole income which can be earned by many families on this forest area.