Chester Hills Controversy: Himachal Bureaucracy Under Fire Over Land Violations

The name Chester Hills is derived from the historic city of Chester in northwest England, located along the River Dee in Cheshire. Popular for its Roman origins, the city is characterised by its striking black-and-white timber-framed architecture and landmark buildings.

But in Solan, a rapidly growing urban town near Chandigarh, the upscale Chester Hills project featuring premium villas and studios has sparked major controversy over alleged land violations and township clearances, putting top state bureaucrats, including officiating Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta, under scrutiny.

With allegations about benami transactions, primarily violations of Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act 1972, a law that regulates land ownership of farmers, coming to the fore quite openly, the Congress government on Saturday told Deputy Commissioner Solan to initiate proceedings against the real estate developer and pass appropriate orders to take control of the property.

Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) K. K. Pant, in his communication to the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, conveyed that the letter of December 6, 2025, written by Gupta in his capacity as Additional CS (Revenue), rejecting the report of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Solan) relating to land violations, has been withdrawn.

The communication reads: "You are requested to institute a case of violation under Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reform Act, 1972, in the matter and pass appropriate orders as per law after hearing the parties concerned."

At the root of the controversy is a 24-page inquiry report by Sub-Divisional Magistrate Solan Poonam Bansal, who had flagged a series of violations committed by private developer M/s NG Estate, which acquired land in the name of a 'proxy' owner, Hans Raj Thakur, an agriculturist from Mandi, to circumvent provisions of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act 1972, which restricts transfer of land to non-agriculturists.

In her report submitted on November 13, 2025, the SDM had recommended vesting the land and initiating action under Section 118 and the Benami Act, citing prima facie violations in the project.

On December 6, 2025, Gupta dismissed the SDM’s report and halted further proceedings in the case. He has now become the centre of controversy, accused of unduly favouring the 'benami promoters.'

However, the state’s Revenue Minister, Jagat Singh Negi, reopened the case following concerns raised in the state assembly about gross irregularities in the project and Gupta's delay in acting on the SDM’s report. The review revealed significant violations of Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, 1972. The allegations also involve illegalities in obtaining approvals, misrepresentation of facts, and land-use changes.

The government communication to Deputy Commissioner Solan clearly indicates firm and decisive action, including vesting the entire 275 bighas of land to the government after giving an appropriate opportunity to the promoters regarding the acquisition of the ‘agricultural land’ in the name of a person not connected with the project, as well as the clearances.

The leader of the opposition, Jairam Thakur, has been demanding an independent probe into the project, the land deal, and the role of the Chief Secretary in sidetracking the SDM Solan’s report to stall action against the violators.

"The government is now fully exposed in this matter, as it tries to protect those involved in the irregularities. We have asked for an independent probe. The current action of the government is only an eyewash and diverts public attention from the irregularities, misuse of power, and shielding of guilty individuals," Thakur said.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) is calling for the removal of the Chief Secretary and the setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT), terming the entire deal as the handiwork of the land mafia, trying to grab prime agricultural land in the state.

Former Deputy Mayor of Shimla, Tikender Singh Panwar, says the Chester Hills housing scam reveals the ugly face of ‘land sharks’ trying to deprive hill farmers, who own only small land holdings, of their livelihoods.

“The facts disclose a deeply disturbing pattern wherein different levels of administrative and police machinery appear to be functioning in a coordinated manner to facilitate illegal concentration of valuable land resources,” he claims.

These so-called “land sharks” are lobbying for changes in land-use laws because Section 118 currently safeguards agricultural land by restricting its sale to non-agriculturists and tightly regulating any change in land use.

Panwar praised the SDM (Solan) for pointing out the illegalities in the Chester Hill-2 and Chester Hill-4 projects, but instead of proceeding with the implementation of recommendations, the SDM’s report was arbitrarily set aside.

Sanjay Gupta has rejected allegations about his role in the project. “The allegations against me being levelled by the BJP and CPM are baseless and part of a conspiracy hatched by two retired bureaucrats, Parbodh Saxena and R D Dhiman, both my predecessors. It’s a malicious campaign unleashed against me to tarnish my image,” he told a press conference, adding that their role needs to be investigated.