SC again declines commercial use of Forest Hill Club
The Supreme Court today again refused to grant interim permission to Chandigarh's controversial Forest Hill Golf Club and Resort for its commercial use but said that it will have the detailed hearing in the case in May to finally dispose it of. A Bench of Chief Justice K. G Balakrishnan and Justice R V Raveendran did not agree with the plea of club's counsel for lifting the stay on the commercialisation of the resort till the final hearing amidst a strong protest from the counsel of Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA). This was for the second time in a month that the apex court declined to lift its 2004 stay on the commercial use of the club as similar request was rejected on February 8. The court had stayed the commercial use after the Punjab Government and the Centre had alleged that a vast demarcated forest land was encroached upon by the club owner in violation of the Punjab Forest Act. The court was not impressed with the contention of club's counsel that due to the continued stay many of the members were quitting their membership as the Bench said if it won the case, they would in any case come back. The Bench said till the final hearing, the stay could not be lifted while ordering the registry to put up it for hearing in the second week of May. The club's new stand is that after a notification issued by the Centre on October 18, 2006, the status of the land has been changed and it no more was the forest land as many commercial ventures, hotels, resorts and educational institutions had been permitted to come up in the area.