The Punjab government today stood completely exposed in its haste to remove the ban on constructions within 900 mt of the IAF base near Zirakpur with the Ministry of Defence declaring that the ban would be reimposed shortly.Less than 24 hours after Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh declared that the state government was lifting the ban, MoD spokesperson Dr P.K. Bandhopadhyay made a categorical statement about reimposing the ban. Delay in survey led to notification lapse New Delhi: The Indian Air Force’s frontline airbases are under threat from unexpected quarters. With a May 2001 notification banning construction within a stipulated zone lapsing, state governments are free to declare the zone available to builders. As a result, key airforce bases, including the Sukhoi base in Pune and other bases at Halwara and Ambala, are in danger of being hemmed in by construction. Confirming this, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘‘As on date the notification has lapsed but it will be reissued soon.’’ According to him, the work to reissue the notification has started and it is going through various procedures before being issued afresh. The notification, under the Indian Works of Defence Act, 1903, had disallowed construction within 900 mt of all air force stations. It stated that the area measured ‘‘from the crest of the outer parapet’’ of the air force bases would be declared a no-development zone by the local authorities in keeping with the Act. As per the notification, the local administration was given a period of 18 months to set up a Board Of Officers with the local air force authorities, map the area and then specify the zone that would be barred from further construction. The notification set off debate in several states with the builders’ lobby opposing it. It is understood that the notification lapsed five months ago as the various air force stations were unable to complete the surveys — a mandatory stipulation under the Act. According to South Block sources, lack of cooperation from the District Collectors/Magistrates and the local municipal bodies prevented the surveys. ‘‘As per the notification, the Board Of officers cannot function without a representative each from the District Magistrate’s office and the local municipal body. Without them the surveys couldn’t be completed and the notification lapsed,’’ said sources at Air Headquarters. Saikat Datta ‘‘The notification on the ban had expired. The new notification will be in placed shortly after being vetted by the Law Ministry and other agencies concerned.’’ He added: ‘‘The letter of the Joint Secretary, Defence, Arvind Joshi, states that as of now there in no ban as the notification has expired. But that does not mean people can be allowed to construct. It is a security issue. The ban will be imposed shortly after the new notification.’’The Punjab government’s decision to lift the ban on political considerations has not only seriously jeopardised defence security but also placed at risk the hapless public. Hundreds of people with plots will now be left in the lurch with incomplete constructions once the ban is reimposed.With Capt Amarinder going ga-ga over what now transpires to be merely a technical lapse, the state government babus also acted in haste and didn’t clarify it with the MoD.Amarinder’s media adviser B.I.S. Chahal initially refused to believe that the ban could be reimposed. ‘‘I have checked with the Secretary, Local Bodies, and the Centre cannot reimpose the ban,’’ was Chahal’s response.When asked on the unseemly haste with which the government had pushed through the notification, Chahal said he would give a ‘‘response tomorrow after getting it checked from the MoD by the state government’s principal resident commissioner in New Delhi’’.Understandably, the state government’s order withdrawing the ban has created a stir in the MoD with the Defence PRO here sending newspaper reports to senior MoD officers. The letter from Joint Secretary, Defence, Arvind Joshi to the CRPF on allowing construction at Hallomajra has also led to misgivings as it remains silent on the issue of the ban’s renewal, and gives a mixed message on allowing construction.In the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat, president Narinder Sharma said they would agitate against the ban. ‘‘There are 500-600 plots on which people want to build. Building maps have started to come in for clearance but once the ban in reimposed, all construction work will have to stop. This ban is against public interest,’’ he said.
