The Supreme Court of India scrapped an ambitious Tata Camelot Housing Project proposed to be developed near Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in the catchment area of Chandigarh's famous Sukhna Lake. In a verdict passed by the apex court on 5thNovember 2019, it cited an environmental threat to the eco-sensitive zone falling on the foothills of Shivalik ranges towards the north of Chandigarh.
The mega, high-end Housing-cum-Retail Complex known as 'Camelot' was a brain-child of Tata Housing and Development Company Limited. It was conceived about a decade ago and was proposed to be built in Kansal village in Mohali district of Punjab. The 52-acre site of the project lies adjacent to the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary and the catchment area of Chandigarh's famous Sukhna Lake.
Apart from this, the site falls on the north of Chandigarh between the Capitol Complex and the picturesque mountain ranges of Shivalik hills. According to the Edict of the city given by Le Corbusier, no construction can come up to the north of the Capitol Complex of Chandigarh.
The proposed INR 1800-crore Tata Camelot Housing Project (comprising 19 towers of maximum 92-metre height, having more than 7 lakh square metres of built-up area, and 1700 flats accommodating 10000 inhabitants) was apparently in violation with all the laid down norms and regulations for environment comprising wildlife, flora and fauna besides the Edict of Chandigarh.
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