Irregularities in Solan housing project under HC scanner

Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh high court has issued notices to the state and the central govt's, the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and non-agriculturist promoters of the Solan-based Chester Hills housing project over alleged illegalities in the execution of the multi-crore project on nearly 275 bighas of agricultural land.Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), a division bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Bipin Chander Negi, took cognisance of allegations relating to violations of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972, which restricts the transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists.The petition refers to a report submitted by the sub-divisional officer (SDO), Solan, following complaints regarding alleged statutory and administrative inaction in the matter.The report concluded that although ownership of land in Chester Hills-2 and Chester Hills-4 projects remained with a local agriculturist, substantive control over development and marketing was allegedly exercised by two non-agriculturist promoters through the Chester Hills partnership firm in collaboration with another firm owned by their fathers.The report further highlighted the acquisition of nearly 275 bighas of land and the execution of housing projects valued at approximately Rs 47.09 crore. It raised concerns about the financial capacity reflected in the Himachal Pradesh agriculturist's income tax returns and suggested that the arrangement required scrutiny by the Enforcement Directorate and the Income Tax authorities to ascertain whether it was structured to circumvent legal restrictions on land transfers to non-agriculturists.The petitioner contended that the statutory process under Section 118 was curtailed after an order dated Dec 6, 2025, set aside the SDO's findings, allegedly without adequately addressing the issues raised in the report.The petition also noted that the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) had repeatedly sought information from the Solan administration regarding complaints connected to the project. The matter will now come up for hearing on July 20.MSID:: 131410207 413 |