‘Fintech Park not forest land, reserved for industrial use’

Jaipur: Reacting to the agitation against the construction of Fintech Park, RIICO on Tuesday said the land on which the park is proposed to be set up was neither government land nor has it ever been recorded as forest or reserved as forest land in the revenue records.It said the land was private khatedari land since beginning as per revenue record of village Dhol ka Bad of Sanganer tehsil, whereas some people are describing it as Dhol ka Bag (forest) which is completely fictitious.Further, since the land is recorded as industrial land in the revenue record, there is no question of it being a forest or garden.The land was reserved for industrial use in the Jaipur Master Plan-2011. When it was shown for residential use in the draft Master Plan-2025, RIICO objected to it. Later on, the ex-post fact approval was accorded by the Jaipur Development Authority in its 62nd meeting held on March 28, 2017, to retain this land as ‘Industrial’, in the Master Plan.According to development control regulations of the Master Plan, non-polluting industries can be set up in the land despite it being surrounded by residential areas. This land was allotted on March 10, 1988 for industrial purposes (GEM Stone Industrial Park).The Supreme Court, in its judgement on February 2, 2013, said the residential activities done by the housing society was in contravention of the purpose for which it was acquired. The land has been acquired for industrial development and thus, cannot be permitted to be used for residential purposes, it had said.