Chandigarh, Dec. 1 -- The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) has declined the Haryana government's proposal to pursue the issue of securing land in Chandigarh for constructing its additional assembly building. The ministry has advised Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini not to follow up on the matter with the Chandigarh administration any further. The issue had gained momentum after Union home minister Amit Shah, during the 30th Northern Zonal Council meeting in Jaipur in July 2022, announced that land would be provided to Haryana for its new assembly. In July 2023, the Chandigarh administration had agreed in principle to allot a 10-acre plot to Haryana for constructing its separate assembly building along Madhya Marg. A prime chunk of land was identified near the railway light point, adjoining the IT Park in Chandigarh, currently valued at around Rs.640 crore. As part of a swap deal, Haryana had offered 12 acres near Saketri, Panchkula. But the UT administration rejected the offer in January this year. A detailed survey by the UT's urban planning department had found the offered land to be low-lying, cut by a natural drain (nullah) and lacking proper access, making it unsuitable for public projects. Haryana lacks any other feasible land parcel near the city. Months later, during a recent meeting, home minister Amit Shah advised the Haryana chief minister to drop the matter entirely, a senior UT administration official confirmed. "Although we offered the land at market price, allotting Chandigarh land to Haryana, which was carved out of Punjab in 1966, carries significant political implications," the official said. The officer added that such a transaction may not fall within the purview of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952, which governs Chandigarh's land use. It may also be challenged as a violation of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, the lawthat restructured the old Punjab into present-day Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. While the UT administration indicated that it was open to selling the 10-acre prime plot to Haryana at the current market valuation of around Rs.640 crore in place of the land swap deal, the Punjab government had objected strongly. Submitting a memorandum to governor Gulab Chand Kataria, Punjab had asserted, "Chandigarh belongs solely to Punjab and not an inch of land will be allowed to be given to Haryana for the construction of its assembly building in the UT." Currently, Punjab and Haryana share the Vidhan Sabha located in the Capitol Complex, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016, where new construction is discouraged....