SC stays HC order cancelling allotment of industrial plots

Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, February 9

The local industrialists have heaved a sigh of relief on the Supreme Court’s order to stay the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order cancelling the allotment of 222 industrial plots at Kutana industrial area in the district.

The industrialists, who had challenged the HC order at the apex court, have welcomed the move to stay the cancellation of the allotment of industrial plots.

“The industrialists had spent crores of rupees to set up manufacturing units on the plots allotted to them. Hundreds of labourers are employed at the said industrial units. Hence, we had decided to move the Supreme Court and requested for a stay on the High Court’s order, which has been granted,” said SK Khator, president of Rohtak IDC Industries Association.

He maintained that the state authorities had presented their version before the High Court in such a weak and unclear manner that the allotment of all 222 plots was cancelled. He said they would also sue the HSIIDC in this regard.

Vijay Gupta, national secretary, Bhartiya Udyog-Vyapar Mandal, said the SC order had come as a big relief to the local industrialists and the industrial workers employed in the said units.

Small-Scale Industries Association president KL Chawla also expressed satisfaction at the stay orders issued by the Supreme Court.

The industrial leaders pointed out that even the committee constituted by the state government on High Court’s direction had stated in its report that of the 222 plots, industrial units were functional on 122 plots, while there was partial construction on 75 plots and the rest 25 were found to be disputed/lying vacant.

They alleged that despite the aforesaid facts, the HSIIDC and the state officials concerned represented the case before the Advocate General’s office and the HC in a lackadaisical manner, due to which the allotment of all plots was cancelled.

While setting aside the allotment of the industrial plots, a Division Bench of the High Court had also ordered re-allotment of plots by adopting a transparent procedure. The Bench had maintained that the allotment committee followed a pick-and-choose policy.

On the other hand, the allottees had rued the move, maintaining that some of the allotments might have been done in an arbitrary manner, but cancelling the entire lot of allotted plots was unfair.