Punjab clears decks to acquire 5,100 acres in Mohali via old law

Months after rolling back its land pooling policy, the Punjab Government has reverted to the old acquisition law and cleared the decks for a major urban expansion push by moving to acquire over 5,100 acres for developing nine new sectors in Mohali and two townships in New Chandigarh.

A notification under Section 11 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for acquiring 4,059 acres in Mohali had been issued while compensation awards for 1,048 acres already under acquisition in New Chandigarh would be issued shortly, a senior government functionary told The Tribune.

In Mohali, 3,535 acres would be acquired for developing Blocks E to J of the Aerotropolis extension, close to international airport, and 524 acres for new Sectors 87 (commercial), 101 (partial) and 103 (industrial). The mandatory Social Impact Assessment has been completed and the expert committee has endorsed the acquisition. In New Chandigarh, the state has finalised compensation awards for 720 acres of in Mohali, which was reported exclusively by The Tribune on June 10. The policy—under which farmers were to receive developed plots instead of monetary compensation—triggered strong farmer protests and political opposition, leading to its withdrawal in August. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had also ordered an interim stay on the policy.

The move to acquire land is one of the largest exercises in recent years to speed up planned development around Mohali and New Chandigarh, which border the capital city Chandigarh. The new initiative puts 5,107 acres into the acquisition pipeline and re-anchors the state’s expansion plan on statutory compensation, transparency requirements and structured development timelines.