The Himachal Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (HPRERA) has confirmed that only five out of 17 Joint Development Agreements (JDAs) registered since 2020 include non-agriculturist partners. This statement comes in response to ongoing investigations into alleged violations of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, particularly regarding the Chester Hill housing project in Solan district. RERA chairman RD Dhiman emphasized that all five projects involving non-agriculturists were registered before a clarification on October 17, 2023, which mandated that all JDA partners must be agriculturists. Dhiman asserted that no violations have occurred in these projects, including Chester Hills-2 and Chester Hills-4, which were previously cleared by the Chief Secretary of Town and Country Planning. The Chester Hill project is currently embroiled in controversy, with allegations of a multi-crore land scam involving 275 bighas of land valued at approximately ₹300 crore (around $36 million USD). The Chief Secretary has instructed the Vigilance Bureau to procure records related to all JDA projects involving non-agriculturists within 15 days.