Mired in the complexities of an ongoing litigation, the state Government’s flagship project on higher education—the Indian School of Business (ISB) in Punjab, the second in India after Hyderabad—is struggling to take off. Nearly 18 acres of scattered prime land within the site approved for the ISB are under litigation in the Supreme Court.

The management of the ISB has expressed its “displeasure” to the Government, urging it to sort out the problem at the earliest. Top ISB officials said the management was unaware of the extent of area under litigation.

“We were given to understand that some scattered pieces of land were disputed, which will not have a bearing on the execution of the project. It is not the same now,” a top ISB official told The Indian Express.

Until the complete area is freed from the litigation, the ISB management is not willing to start construction, which is scheduled to commence in December. Though the planning and design are nearly ready, officials involved with the project are not hopeful of starting it on time.

Max India Limited chairman Analjit Singh, who is one of the directors in the ISB project, recently met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to discuss the issue. According to official sources, the CM has issued directions to expedite the process to free the site from the litigation.

The case came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday. Chief Administrator, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Vivek Pratap Singh said the next hearing would be in December.

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