The modified change of land use (CLU) granted to Jattvibetec City in Mohali by the Director of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) is not an isolated case, as this practice has been ongoing since 2021.The DTCP gave 10 such approvals to private realtors during this period. The issue gains importance as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing Jattvibetec City, promoted by the Indian Cooperative Housing Building Society, for allegedly securing fraudulent CLU approvals using fake landowner consents.The central agency has summoned former Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma to appear on August 31 and re-summoned IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar to appear on August 27 in the ongoing probe. While the ED is probing allegations, the promoter of Jattvibetec City was allegedly safeguarded by initiating action under Section 85, despite material misrepresentation that warranted strict action under Section 90 of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development (PRTPD) Act.The DTCP officials learned to have told the ED that to protect third-party rights, partial cancellations were carried out under Section 85 even in cases of established fraud, as was done with M/s Bajwa Developers Ltd. Sources in the Housing Department said until 2022, the DTCP dealt with cases of fake consent and partial CLU cancellation under Section 90 of the PRTPD Act, 1995.However, in 2024, the department began processing such cases under Section 85 after obtaining legal advice from the Punjab Advocate General (AG) office. The AG opined that until forensic reports on alleged forged signatures were received from the police, cases should be processed under Section 85.As a result, seven cases of partial CLU cancellation—triggered by alleged forgery, fake bank NOCs or other issues—were processed under Section 85 since 2024. From 2014, whenever the issue of fake consent arose, the department cancelled only the partial CLU relating to the disputed land under Section 85 or 90. The builders whose partial cancellation cases were handled between 2021 and 2025 include Bajwa Developers, Innovative Housing and Infrastructure, Altus Space Builders, Sukhman Infrastructure, and Jattvibeny Lovely Developers.In the Jattvibetec City case, the PAPRA licence was revoked in addition to the partial CLU cancellation, which disqualified the promoter from selling any further plots. This information was obtained under the RTI Act by Veer Singh, a Chandigarh-based advocate, from the DTCP.The probe also points out that the primary vulnerability in the alleged scam stemmed from a Punjab-specific rule under the 2014 policy (introduced during the SAD-BJP government) that permitted realtors to obtain CLU or layout plan approvals with just 25 per cent land ownership in the project area. For the remaining land, a simple no-objection certificate (NOC) or consent letter from landowners was accepted. Due to this loophole, realtors allegedly submitted fake consent letters with forged signatures and thumb impressions to secure approvals.Armed with 25 per cent ownership and fabricated consents, developers proceeded to sell plots to homebuyers on land for which no valid consent existed.