Sahara City MOHALI licence Rejected.

Mohali, December 29
With the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) rejecting the case of grant of licence to a prestigious housing project of the Sahara Group here, the hopes of hundreds of investors to own a house in Chandigarh’s periphery have been dashed.
Following advertisements by the group in 2007, scores of investors had applied for a dream home in a state-of-the-art Sahara City Homes project at Rampur Kalan, near Banur on the Zirakpur-Patiala road.
Passing the orders under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), the Chief Administrator of the GMADA said the letter of intent (LOI) issued to the promoter on November 16, 2006, had already expired.
Since the extended validity of the LOI was for two months from the date of issue, the case of grant of licence to the company has automatically lapsed. The change of land use (CLU), a prior condition to get the LOI, also lapses on March 31, 2009.
Sources in the Punjab Urban Housing Department reveal that the CLU would be valid till March 31 only if the promoter deposits the pending dues recently notified by the government.
“In case the company wants to go ahead with the project, it needs to apply afresh for licence and the charges, terms and conditions would be applicable as on the date of grant of licence,” said the Chief Administrator while passing the orders in compliance of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana Court in the case.
The Sahara India Commercial Corporation Limited had applied for a licence under PAPRA to the Chief Administrator, PUDA, on March 9, 2006. The case was processed and LOI issued on November 16, 2006.
As per the LOI, the promoter was required to pay within 30 days the external development charges (EDC), change of land use (CLU) and licence fee, fixed on the basis of charges fixed in the periphery policy of January 20, 2006.
After waiting for one-and-a-half-month, the promoter, on January 3, 2007, sent a letter stating that external development charges demanded from him were on the higher side. A writ petition was filed in the High Court January 12, 2007.
The promoter stated that the LOI was issued on November 16, 2006, where as the notification of the state government dated July 12, 2006, in regard to calculation of the EDC in view of the external development works to be utilised by the company was not considered. The company, while claiming that their project was an independent and integrated township beyond the 10-kilometre distance of UT boundary, said that it was ready to pay charges as per the notification dated December 7, 2001 and June 23, 2005. Rejecting the stand of the company, the Chief Administrator said the project was located within the controlled periphery of Chandigarh and condition of giving sanction outside the planning area was specially allowed. The EDC was applicable on the date of grant of licence. The state government was spending Rs 1,000 crore to provide road linkages around the international airport and to link Kharar to the Chandigarh-Patiala road at Chattbir and ultimately extend to Panchkukla.

The above titled news coverage is highly misleading. The news coverage has not taken stock of the actual issue involved in the matter.

The Competent Authority GMADA has utterly failed to appreciate the stand taken by the Company regarding the applicability of the notification under which the External Development Charges were to be levied. The Company has from the very beginning maintaining that the EDC should be charged as per the notification dated 07.12.2001 / 23.06.2005, i.e. the notification / policy which was in vogue at the time of the Conversion of Land Use (CLU). The Company has all along emphatically maintained that the notification dated 20.01.2006 is not applicable on the township conceived by the Company on two counts, firstly it is an independent and integrated township beyond 10 K.M. distance from the periphery of Union Territory and secondly it does not qualify as a Mega Project as envisaged under notification dated 20.01.2006 for the reason that the minimum area prescribed for a project to fall within the definition of "Mega Project" in terms of notification dated 20.01.2006 is 500 Acres and more.

In addition to the above stand of the Company, it has been constantly maintained that for the township as conceived by the Company, except for a connecting road to be constructed by the NHAI, no infrastructural development by the State is required and as such the project not being a recipient in the infrastructural State, the levy of external development charges as envisaged vide notification dated 20.01.2006 would not apply to us.

The Company has always shown its readiness and willingness to pay charges based on notification dated 07.12.2001 / 23.06.2005. The Company is committed to complete its project i.e. Sahara City Homes. The Company is contesting this matter tooth and nail on behalf of the public at large so as to be able to provide to the public the houses, facilities and amenities at the rates which are affordable. In the event the Company accedes to the demands of the GMADA to pay the External Development Charges at the rate as demanded by it, the rates of the houses, facilities and amenities shall in every likelihood be beyond the affordability of the public at large. Sahara India Pariwar has always stood for public at large and is committed in its resolve to provide to the people of India quality life style which would be affordable by one and sundry.


In the above resolve, the Company is going to file an appeal before the Appellate Authority and in the interest of the public at large, it will not hesitate in challenging the arbitrary action of the Competent Authority, GMADA before the high Court or even the Apex Court.

tfs..............

Do we know where we are on this project ? Are they ever going to build ?

abhayjha said:

The above titled news coverage is highly misleading. The news coverage has not taken stock of the actual issue involved in the matter.

The Competent Authority GMADA has utterly failed to appreciate the stand taken by the Company regarding the applicability of the notification under which the External Development Charges were to be levied. The Company has from the very beginning maintaining that the EDC should be charged as per the notification dated 07.12.2001 / 23.06.2005, i.e. the notification / policy which was in vogue at the time of the Conversion of Land Use (CLU). The Company has all along emphatically maintained that the notification dated 20.01.2006 is not applicable on the township conceived by the Company on two counts, firstly it is an independent and integrated township beyond 10 K.M. distance from the periphery of Union Territory and secondly it does not qualify as a Mega Project as envisaged under notification dated 20.01.2006 for the reason that the minimum area prescribed for a project to fall within the definition of "Mega Project" in terms of notification dated 20.01.2006 is 500 Acres and more.

In addition to the above stand of the Company, it has been constantly maintained that for the township as conceived by the Company, except for a connecting road to be constructed by the NHAI, no infrastructural development by the State is required and as such the project not being a recipient in the infrastructural State, the levy of external development charges as envisaged vide notification dated 20.01.2006 would not apply to us.

The Company has always shown its readiness and willingness to pay charges based on notification dated 07.12.2001 / 23.06.2005. The Company is committed to complete its project i.e. Sahara City Homes. The Company is contesting this matter tooth and nail on behalf of the public at large so as to be able to provide to the public the houses, facilities and amenities at the rates which are affordable. In the event the Company accedes to the demands of the GMADA to pay the External Development Charges at the rate as demanded by it, the rates of the houses, facilities and amenities shall in every likelihood be beyond the affordability of the public at large. Sahara India Pariwar has always stood for public at large and is committed in its resolve to provide to the people of India quality life style which would be affordable by one and sundry.


In the above resolve, the Company is going to file an appeal before the Appellate Authority and in the interest of the public at large, it will not hesitate in challenging the arbitrary action of the Competent Authority, GMADA before the high Court or even the Apex Court.

Click to expand...

cud u tell where this Sahara project is heading??lot hard earned money is invested..

tell the real status of sahara city homes in Zirakpur