MHA letter orders special audit of 3 mega projects — Filmcity, Theme Park, Medicity

In A major embarrassment to the Chandigarh Administration, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has barred it from acquiring land for any further project without approval. Besides, in an unprecedented move, the MHA has also ordered a special audit into the mega projects, including Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park, Medicity, Amusement-cum-Theme Park and Filmcity.

In a stern communiqué, the MHA has asked the Administration to put on hold further acquisitions under the Land Acquisition Act. It has desired that such initiatives in the future should be vetted by the coordination committee and the Administrator’s Advisory Council having representatives of the Ministry of Urban Development and the MHA. The ministry has said the Administration should implement the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy-2007 and get its rehabilitation policy vetted too from the ministry concerned.

The communication received by the Chandigarh Administration on Tuesday also orders a special audit of the projects that are under process. The audit will be conducted by a team headed by the Chief Controller of Accounts, MHA. It will broadly involve issues pertaining to the compensation to farmers whose land was acquired, complaints about exemptions and violations — where land was sold to private buyers or companies with reference to the prevailing rules — and allotment of land to IT Park projects, besides the status of three projects — Medicity, Film City and Theme-cum-Amusement Park.

The communication said while the projects were already under investigation by the Central Vigilance Commission, the Government of India wanted the special audit to see whether a transparent non-discriminatory process had been followed in the allotment of government properties.

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