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Hans India
2 days ago
- Business
- Hans India
Punjab cabinet approves new land pooling policy
Chandigarh: The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, approved the introduction of a new and progressive land pooling policy to promote planned and sustainable development. A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the policy aims to involve landowners, promoters, and companies as stakeholders in the development process and to increase interest in land pooling among landowners. The revised scheme has been rationalised to benefit small and marginal farmers significantly, offering more options to landowners, which will boost group housing and planned development, ultimately benefiting the common man. The policy is designed to ensure holistic development by integrating every stakeholder into the process. It will be a game changer for the state as it will provide major benefits for farmers. There will be no more exploitation of farmers, and they will directly benefit. No private developers or land mafia can exploit farmers, as the policy ensures that farmers are protected from exploitation by private players. The Cabinet also approved the partial surrender and partial cancellation of licences issued to colonies under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995, as well as the partial cancellation of approvals granted to industrial park projects. A policy in this regard was notified on March 10, concerning the surrender of licences for developing colonies under the PAPRA Act and approvals for industrial parks. This decision allows for partial surrender of licensed areas, subject to certain conditions, and partial suspension or cancellation of licenses for such projects. To encourage allottees and bidders of residential, commercial, and other property plots to make lump sum payments of 75 per cent of the total amount, the Cabinet also approved a series of incentives. A 15 per cent discount on the cost of the plot or site will be offered to allottees who make a lump sum payment. This measure, said the spokesperson, is expected to ensure consolidated revenue for the government while also reducing the number of defaulters.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Punjab cabinet approves land pooling policy
The Punjab cabinet on Monday gave its nod to the land pooling policy in a meeting chaired by chief minister Bhagwant the policy will be launched in 27 cities and towns of the state, the government said. The policy was given clearance amidst vocal protests by farm unions and opposition parties. According to the government, the new policy is aimed at curbing illegal colonies in the state, which as per a survey have crossed 14,000 in number. Addressing a press conference, renewable energy minister Aman Arora informed the mediapersons that the new policy involves landowners, promoters, and companies as stakeholders in the development process. 'The revised scheme has been rationalised to benefit small and marginal farmers significantly, offering more options to landowners, which will boost group housing and planned development, ultimately benefiting the common man,' Arora said. Farmers can voluntarily offer their land for development and, in return, receive a residential plot and a commercial site in lieu of one acre of land, the minister added. As per the policy, for every one acre of land contributed to the developer, the owner will receive a 1,000-square-yard residential plot and a 200-square-yard commercial plot. 'There will be no exploitation of farmers, as they will benefit as private developers, farmers can continue farming or choose to sell it. There will be no forced acquisition as it used to happen in the past,' said Arora, adding that nothing will proceed without the farmer's consent (NOC) and the land will be given to the government authority. Replying to a question, Arora clarified that the policy has been launched on a voluntary basis left to the discretion of the farmer and the land owners. 'Farmers will have the choice to develop the land themselves and work like an entrepreneur or give the land to the state government authority or a private developer,' he said. 'If a person/farmer/landowner contributes nine acres of land, three acres will be returned to the owner for developing a group housing society—meaning one-third of the pooled land is returned to the owner,' the minister added. Arora explained that until the owners receive the residential and commercial sites, they will be paid ₹30,000 per acre per year for up to three years and the land owner would not be under binding as was in the land pooling policy launched by the previous governments that he cannot move out of the agreement while the development by the government was underway. 'The farmer can quit the scheme at the time of his choice,' he said. 'This policy brings an end to land mafia rule and there will be a complete ban enforced on illegal colonies,' Arora asserted. Partial surrender allowed The cabinet also approved the partial surrender and partial cancellation of licenses issued to colonies under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995. A policy in this regard was notified on March 10 concerning the surrender of licenses for developing colonies under the PAPRA Act and approvals for industrial parks. This decision allows for partial surrender of licensed areas, subject to some conditions. To encourage allottees and bidders of residential, commercial, and other property plots to make lump sum payments of 75% of the total amount, the cabinet approved a series of incentives. A 15% discount on the cost of the plot/site will be offered to allottees who make a lump sum payment. 'This measure is expected to ensure consolidated revenue for the state government while also reducing the number of defaulters,' the government said. Hike in EDC, CLU charges To boost revenue generation, the cabinet also approved an increase in external development charges (EDC), change of land use charges (CLU), license fees (LF), and other charges applicable to real estate promoters. The promoters are required to pay EDC under the PAPRA Act and for mega projects under the Punjab government's Mega Project Policy. The last revision of these charges was notified on May 6, 2016, with a provision to increase the rates by 10% annually starting April 1. However, the government waived the annual hike for several years. The charges have been increased from April 1, 2020, and have gone up by approximately 77% since 2016. Going forward, CLU charges, EDC, and license fees will be increased by 10% annually, compounded from April 1, 2026. Ploy to usurp farmer's land: SAD Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) spokesman Arshdeep Singh Kler on Monday said that the AAP government led by Bhagwant Mann was usurping farmers' land. 'It was shocking to see that the AAP government was going to acquire agricultural land and sell it to builders and developers. It is most unfortunate to see that the present AAP government, which had promised the moon to the farmers, was now trying to take away fertile land from them at throw-away prices, Kler said adding that Akali Dal would stand with the farmers and would ensure that their land was not forcibly taken away from them.
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
Punjab Cabinet Approves New Land Pooling Policy To Promote Planned, Sustainable Development
Chandigarh: The Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Monday approved the introduction of a new and progressive land pooling policy to promote planned and sustainable development. A spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the policy aims to involve landowners, promoters, and companies as stakeholders in the development process and to increase interest in land pooling among landowners. The revised scheme has been rationalised to benefit small and marginal farmers significantly, offering more options to landowners, which will boost group housing and planned development, ultimately benefiting the common man. The policy is designed to ensure holistic development by integrating every stakeholder into the process. It will be a game changer for the state as it will provide major benefits for farmers. There will be no more exploitation of farmers, and they will directly benefit. No private developers or land mafia can exploit farmers, as the policy ensures that farmers are protected from exploitation by private players. The Cabinet also approved the partial surrender and partial cancellation of licences issued to colonies under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995, as well as the partial cancellation of approvals granted to industrial park projects. A policy in this regard was notified on March 10, concerning the surrender of licences for developing colonies under the PAPRA Act and approvals for industrial parks. This decision allows for partial surrender of licensed areas, subject to certain conditions, and partial suspension or cancellation of licenses for such projects. To encourage allottees and bidders of residential, commercial, and other property plots to make lump sum payments of 75 per cent of the total amount, the Cabinet also approved a series of incentives. A 15 per cent discount on the cost of the plot or site will be offered to allottees who make a lump sum payment. This measure, said the spokesperson, is expected to ensure consolidated revenue for the government while also reducing the number of defaulters. To further facilitate the state's holistic development and boost revenue generation, the Cabinet approved an increase in external development charges, changes in land use charges, licence fees, and other charges applicable to real estate promoters.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Two months on, over 9,000 plot owners await power connection
Despite the government's nod to grant electricity connections to small plot holders in newly regularised colonies, thousands of residents in Ludhiana continue to wait for power connections even two months after the official deadline. The delay has raised concerns as the city braces for an intense summer season, and residents, despite meeting all formalities, are still without a stable power supply. According to officials, the power utility is currently dealing with a massive backlog of over 9,500 pending applications for new connections across three major divisions, including Focal Point, Aggar Nagar and Sunder Nagar. Officials asserted that Focal Point division alone has more than 4,000 pending requests, followed by Aggar Nagar (over 3,000) and Sunder Nagar with 2,500 requests pending. Notably, the backlog comes in the wake of a state government notification issued on November 25, 2024. As per the amendment under Section 20 (5) of The Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995, plot holders in unauthorised colonies with up to 500 square yards, were allowed to register their plots without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the department of housing and urban development or the department of local government. This window was open from December 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025. Following this, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) issued directions dated December 4, permitting the release of electricity connections to those who had registered their plots under the said notification. However, officials on the ground say the sheer volume of applications received during this period overwhelmed the power utility's capacity. 'We receive barely 200 applications a month for new connections. But after the NOC waiver, thousands of small plot holders applied within a short span, overwhelming our system. While we are working to release these connections at the earliest, clearing such a large backlog is taking time,' said Amrinder Singh, XEN, Focal Point division. Meanwhile, consumers who completed their registration and submitted all required documents as early as January or February have expressed growing frustration. 'We were assured the connections would be released quickly, but it's been months and we're still waiting. It's difficult to manage without a stable power supply, especially with summer approaching,' said Kamalpreet Singh, a local applicant. A senior PSPCL official acknowledged the delay, attributing it to an overwhelming surge in applications and limited manpower. He further added that in the span of mere three months, from December to March, the corporation has released 13,216 new electricity connections across Ludhiana. This included 4,179 connections in the Focal Point division, 3,521 in Sunder Nagar, and 2,433 in Aggar Nagar. However, the demand has far outpaced expectations, largely due to the NOC waiver granted to small plot holders under the new policy. 'To manage the surge, we've deployed outsourced and contractual workers and asked regular technical staff to work in tandem with them. Equipment like smart meters and installation tools have also been mobilised from other divisions to fast-track the process,' the official added.
