HC stays demolition of heritage buildings

CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed an alleged demolition, acting on a petition to protect and preserve heritage buildings constructed under the rule of Maharaja of Patiala. Subhash Kapoor and eight other residents of Patiala moved the high court alleging the action of declaring the area commercial and residential was solely to collect funds before transferring it to the Punjab government to cover "deficit funds and financial difficulty faced by it." The petitioners had asserted that the area ordered to be auctioned consisted of 34 residential plots and 18 commercial units and was adjacent to their houses. They claimed the land and building ordered to be auctioned would destroy the green belt and damage the buildings with heritage importance.