Ambala Cantonment Freehold Policy: If needed, I will stand with the people and fight alongside them; I hope the wrong provisions will be corrected: Energy Minister Anil Vij

Energy Minister Anil Vij discusses the proposed Freehold Policy with BJP workers at Aggarwal Dharamshala, Ambala Cantonment

Chandigarh, August 6: Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Anil Vij today held an extensive discussion with BJP workers at Aggarwal Dharamshala, Ambala Cantonment, on the newly proposed Freehold Policy for Ambala Cantonment. During the meeting, he elaborated on the policy, its implications, and assured people that he would firmly safeguard their interests.

Sh. Vij said the meeting was of great importance and that it was essential to communicate the facts about the policy to the people of Ambala Cantonment through the party workers. He recalled that the demand for granting freehold status to Ambala Cantonment has been raised consistently since the tenure of former MLA Devender Bansal. The matter also reached the courts, where several judicial observations were made. Recently, in an encroachment-related case, a Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Chief Secretary of Haryana to formulate a Freehold Policy for Ambala Cantonment.

Sh. Vij explained that the issue pertains exclusively to the Sadar area of Ambala Cantonment, which remained under the Cantonment Board until February 5, 1977. On that date, when Bansi Lal was the Defence Minister, 1,063 acres of land were transferred from the Cantonment Board to form a Municipal Committee, subject to specific conditions. One of these conditions required the Haryana Government to acquire 150 acres of land free of cost and hand it over to the Army, following which the land belonging to the Government of India would vest with the Haryana Government.

He said that despite the agreement signed on February 5, 1977, no government made any effort until the year 2000 to fulfil this condition. When Bansi Lal became Chief Minister in 2000, he personally persuaded him to provide the required 150 acres to the Army, enabling the transfer of Government of India land to the Haryana Government.

Sh. Vij further stated that people later faced difficulties in property registration, building plan approvals, property partition and obtaining bank loans because of the freehold issue. Earlier, property registrations were carried out without any problem, but later, registrations were restricted only to the structure or debris, not the land, since the land legally belonged to the government. Every registration document stated that only the structure was being transferred, not the land. As a result, banks stopped granting loans against such properties.

He cited an example where a person mortgaged a property in Ambala Cantonment to obtain a substantial bank loan. When the loan remained unpaid and the bank initiated recovery proceedings, it found that only vacant land existed at the site. Since the government asserted ownership of the land, the bank could not proceed with its attachment. This incident created fear among officials, after which registrations were made only for the structure, leading to continued difficulties in obtaining loans, sanctioning building plans and partitioning properties. Following the High Court's directions, the Haryana Government prepared the present Freehold Policy.

Despite strong pressure from officials, I ensured the Freehold Policy agenda was deferred: Anil Vij

The Energy Minister said that the proposed policy was later placed before the State Cabinet. He pointed out that the item was not included in the agenda circulated on the first day but appeared as Agenda Item No. 17 when the Cabinet meeting commenced the following morning.
He said that as officials began presenting the policy for approval, he objected and told the Chief Minister that he had not been consulted even once, despite representing Ambala Cantonment and having been elected from the constituency seven times. He questioned how a policy concerning Ambala Cantonment could be framed without consulting its elected representative or understanding the aspirations of its residents.

According to Sh. Vij, although the Chief Secretary wanted the proposal to be approved, he insisted that the agenda be deferred. He urged the Chief Minister to convene a separate meeting involving himself as well as all officials responsible for drafting the policy so that every aspect could be examined before any decision was taken.

He said that because of his intervention, the proposal was not approved in the Cabinet meeting despite repeated attempts by officials. "Had the policy been cleared in its present form, the people of Ambala Cantonment would have suffered immensely," he remarked.

Energy Minister Anil Vij highlights major provisions of the policy

Sh. Vij said that after the Cabinet meeting, he carefully studied the draft policy along with legal experts.
According to the policy, every property holder would have to get the land registered at the collector rate. Explaining with an example, he said that if a person owns 1,000 square yards of land and the collector rate is ₹60,000 per square yard, the individual would have to deposit ₹6 crore for registration. The same principle would apply irrespective of whether the property measures 100, 200, 500, 1,000 or even 2,000 square yards. He further pointed out that the policy provides that if the required amount is not deposited, the government may seal the property, take possession of it and dispose of it.
Another provision requires applicants to submit the original ownership documents of the land. Sh. Vij questioned how residents could be expected to produce documents dating back nearly 150 years, especially when many ancestral property divisions had taken place orally without written records. He also stated that applicants would have to deposit 25 percent of the total amount at the time of applying through the online portal, while the remaining amount would have to be paid within one year. Failure to do so, he said, could result in eviction, sealing of the property and its transfer to the government.
He added that even those who fail to apply for freehold status within one year could face the sealing of their properties and be charged market-rate rent. The policy also contains provisions regarding charges from occupants in possession of land, besides several other complex legal clauses.

If the people of Ambala Cantonment have to fight for their legitimate rights, I will stand with them: Anil Vij

Addressing the gathering, Sh. Vij said that there are three possible courses of action.
The first, he said, is that he hopes the proposed meeting will lead to the removal of the objectionable provisions in the policy because he is fully aware of the historical background of Ambala Cantonment.
The second option, if the concerns are not addressed, would be to challenge the policy in court. For this purpose, he suggested that a strong citizens' committee should be constituted to pursue the matter legally. The third possibility, which he described as the most difficult, was that people might have to fight even against the government for their legitimate rights.
"I want to assure you today that if the people of Ambala Cantonment have to fight the government even for their rightful cause, Anil Vij will stand with the people of Ambala Cantonment, not with the government. We will fight together. We will protest together. Whatever democratic course of action is required, I will stand shoulder to shoulder with you," he said.
The Energy Minister said the issue is extremely serious and it was necessary to take everyone into confidence. He urged residents to remember that this is not merely the issue of the Sadar area, but of the entire Ambala Cantonment, and that everyone must unite in this struggle. He expressed confidence that the shortcomings in the policy would eventually be corrected.
A large number of BJP office-bearers and party workers were present during the meeting.