Tweaked plan allows higher population density on land owned by Kanda’s partners

Haryana has granted this land with a population density of 1,125 people per hectare,more than four times of the density it allowed on other parts of the Gurgaon Manesar Urban Complex-2031 draft.

The government has converted land use of 50 hectares (125 acres) of Sector 37 D and 68 from agriculture to residential. While 40 acres out of these 125 acres belonged to Sarv Realtors,sources indicated that another 20 acres in this area also belonged to two powerful politicians of the state. A few chunks of the land are still under possession of the local landlords,who refused to sell their land at throwaway prices.

The Haryana government has revised the Draft Development Plan of Gurgaon for the third consecutive time under the Hooda regime and changed land use to create seven new sectors — 36 A,88 A,88 B,89 A,95 A,95 B and 99 A). The sentence in the draft plan that gave Kanda’s partners’ company a green signal to raise residential complex,stated: “Some area has been added in Sector 37 D and 68 of residential area.”

The government,in its revised plan,had allowed a population density of 250 people per hectare. But for these 50 hectares,the state-level committee headed by Hooda himself allowed a population density of 1,125 people per hectares against the 250 people per hectare allowed on the other parts of the revised plan.

The committee note tried to justify the highest density of population saying that they wanted this area to be developed for affordable housing in Sector 68. Sources in the Department of Town and Country Planning said that with a population density of 250 people per hectare,the company would have ended up suffering huge losses,as the demand right now was for small houses. “It suits the builders also,as small flats generate maximum profit. As per norms,a flat is allowed after every five persons and with no vertical limit in construction,the company can build as many flats as it wants,” said a senior official.

The government action also came under scanner for the reason that prior to the Hooda regime,the master plan was only revised once in 2001 after its inception in 1996,whereas the plan was thrice revised under Hooda. This time it has been revised within three years of its last revision in 2009 under the CM.