Tata Housing’s showpiece project in Chandigarh,  the Camelot, has received a thumbs down from the Supreme Court which ruled on Tuesday that it was not in accordance with the permissible norms and therefore cannot be allowed to come up.

The Rs 1,800-crore Tata Camelot Housing Project, the Supreme Court ruled, was well within the catchment area of Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh and in granting permission, the Punjab administration  had violated the public trust doctrine. The project was to have come up on 53.39 acres of land near the Chandigarh Capitol Complex. The project’s fate has been hanging in the balance since it was challenged in the high court in November 2010.

In 2017, the Delhi High Court had held that the permission for the project, which was granted by the gram panchayat of Sukhna catchment area village and endorsed by the Punjab government, was set aside. It also set aside environmental clearances given by the authorities concerned for the project.

The high court further directed the Punjab government to reconsider its decision given to Tata.

The high court order had come on a plea filed by advocate Aalok Jagga against the grant of approval by various authorities to the Tata housing project near Sukhna Lake. Subsequently, Tata Housing has challenged this order in the Supreme Court.

—India Legal Bureau