Latest news with #CentralLandAcquisitionActof2013
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Punjab's land pooling policy and its criticism
A land pooling policy, meant to acquire more than 40,000 acres of farmland for housing purposes, has triggered protests in Punjab. Here's why. The Land Pooling Policy, 2025 is a flagship initiative of the Punjab government with the stated aim of promoting 'planned urban development'. Unlike in traditional land acquisition, where the state simply acquires land for compensation, the pooling initiative is meant to be voluntary. The policy seeks to check the proliferation of illegal colonies and arrest haphazard urban growth, while ensuring landowners remain stakeholders in development, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has said. For every 1 acre of land pooled, landowners will get a 1,000 sq yard residential plot and a 200 sq yard commercial plot (1 acre= 4,840 sq yards). In the case of larger contributions, for every 9 acres of pooled land the landowners will get 3 acres of developed land, suitable for group housing. For 50 acres pooled, they will get 30 acres of developed land. The policy is currently being rolled out in 27 cities across Punjab, in districts such as Ludhiana (24,000 acres targeted), Mohali (6,000 acres), Amritsar (4,464 acres), Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda, and Sangrur. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab is looking to generate roughly Rs 20,000 to 25,000 crore from the land pooling. With state elections set to take place by March 2027, the government has roughly a year-and-a-half to rule before the model code of conduct kicks in. Forcible land acquisition is a long process susceptible to arduous legal wrangling. The government anticipates that the voluntary pooling route will cut short the time for land acquisition while simultaneously helping generate funds for the cash-strapped state, sources said. These funds, sources indicate, might be used to finance the AAP government's ambitious pre-poll promise of paying a monthly sum of Rs 1,000 to all women in the state. Experts, however, argue that the policy needlessly diverts fertile agricultural land for urban use. 'By diverting almost 40,000 acres from agriculture to cities, we will lose almost 1.50 lakh tons of paddy production. Unfortunately, in most parts, the land is fertile,' one expert told The Indian Express. Punjab BJP Chief Sunil Jakhar has called this a 'ponzi scheme,' and accused the government of exploiting farmers with false promises. SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced statewide protests against the move, calling it a 'land-grabbing scheme' designed to raise Rs 10,000 crore through bribes and benefit private developers. Critics say that the policy, based on the Punjab Regional Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, lacks the safeguards for compensation and resettlement provided under the Central Land Acquisition Act of 2013.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Sukhbir announces protests against AAP govt's ‘land pooling policy'
Chandigarh: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced a series of protests starting from Ludhiana on July 15, aimed at safeguarding the interests of farmers in Punjab. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced a series of protests starting from Ludhiana on July 15, aimed at safeguarding the interests of farmers in Punjab. Addressing a press conference here, the SAD president said 40,000 acres of land of 158 villages were being acquired under a purported land pooling scheme which was in fact a 'land-grabbing scheme'. Sukhbir accused the AAP government of attempting to acquire the land under the Punjab Regional Town Planning and Development Act, 1995. He claimed that the scheme was designed not to benefit farmers or the public but to fill the coffers of the AAP, alleging that the party aimed to raise ₹ 10,000 crore through bribes. The protests, according to Sukhbir, will take place across various cities where land is slated to be acquired, including Ludhiana (24,000 acres), Mohali (2,535 acres), Amritsar (4,464 acres), and several other districts like Patiala, Jalandhar, Bathinda and Sangrur, with a total of 40,000 acres of land affected. Sukhbir highlighted the differences between the 1995 Punjab Act and the Central Land Acquisition Act of 2013. He pointed out that the latter would require compensation to be paid at four times the collector's rate and include resettlement plans for affected farmers, while the former gives the state government more leeway in excluding land from acquisition and allowing its auction, lease, or allotment to private developers. 'This is not about development. This is about looting the land and enriching the AAP's Delhi-based leadership. The real agenda here is to help private developers, particularly those with ties to the AAP,' the SAD chief alleged. Sukhbir also criticised chief minister Bhagwant Mann for allegedly allowing the land acquisition process to be handed over to outsiders, claiming that all four members of the state's development authorities were from outside Punjab.
