Manesar

On 17 September 2015, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a First Information Report under various sections of the Indian Penal Code relating to forgery, cheating and criminal conspiracy. These were in connection with alleged irregularities involving land acquisitions at IMT Manesar.[11] Subsequently, in 2018, the former Haryana Chief Minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda, together with real estate companies, officials of the state government's department of town and country planning and bureaucrats who worked with Hooda while he was Chief Minister were charged. The scam had allegedly resulted in a 15 billion INR loss to farmers in Manesar and the adjoining villages of Naurangpur and Lakhnoula whose land, amounting to 400 acres (160 ha), had been threatened with government purchase for "public purpose". Faced with the threat of government acquisition, farmers sold at knock-down prices, averaging 25 percent of market value, to real estate developers. The Hooda government then released the land from the acquisition threat, thus favouring the developers.[11]

One of the beneficiary of the scam was Hooda's nephew, Sukhwinder, whose company was given change of land use (CLU) permission for 52 acres land on the same day the government acquisition process had lapsed for the want of release of funds, while at the same time CLU was denied to two other unrelated applicants.[12]

The Supreme Court of India cancelled the acquisition and grant of land to the developers and directed the CBI to inquire further. The government was instructed to "recover every single pie". Court returned the land to Haryana government. Land would not be returned to the landholders more than the prevailing price. The builders will not be allowed to recover any money they paid to land owners as the deal was done to benefit them and "middlemen". The court said:[13]

The acquisition process was withdrawn with fraudulent intentions after the land was purchased by the private builders in active connivance with state functionaries. The builders and private entities were aware that the acquisition would not go through. The entire acquisition proceedings were initiated with mala fide intention, illegally and in violation of the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. It was not a mere bonanza or a deal, but denoted quid pro quo.

In 2018, the Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar, announced a new city that would adjoin Gurgaon and incorporate an area from Manesar towards Rewari, and also the area around Pataudi. The new city is likely to be spread across at least 50,000 hectares, which is larger than Chandigarh (11,400 hectares) but smaller than Gurgaon (73,200 hectares).[14]

In November 2020, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar announced creation of a new municipal corporation in Manesar.[15] In December 2020, the Haryana Government approved the formation of a new municipal corporation for Manesar in a cabinat meeting.[16]