Under HC lens, Punjab govt puts land pooling policy on hold for a day
The state govt's decision came in response to a petition challenging the policy, which aims to acquire thousands of acres of land for developing residential and industrial zones.
When the matter came up for hearing, the advocate general, Punjab, requested time to address the contentions in the petition challenging the policy.
A bench, headed by Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal, directed the Punjab govt to clarify whether the policy includes provisions for the rehabilitation of landless labourers and others dependent on the land for their livelihood.
The bench further questioned the state on whether a social impact assessment was conducted before the policy was notified. It also referred to a Supreme Court verdict in a case of Residents' Welfare Association and another versus Union Territory of Chandigarh emphasising the need for an environmental impact assessment before urban development.
The petition was filed by Gurdeep Singh, a 72-year-old resident of Ludhiana, who claimed to have inherited six acres of agricultural land. He argued that the policy is illegal and violates fundamental rights by bypassing mandatory procedures under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR Act). Singh's plea stated that the land notified for the policy is multi-cropped and irrigated, and that the state failed to follow the necessary provisions of the LARR Act.
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