Facing backlash, Punjab's Govt tweaks land pooling policy

The Punjab Government has tweaked its land pooling policy, allowing small landholders to club their land to reach the minimum threshold required to get both commercial and residential plots under the initiative.

The development is being seen in political quarters as an attempt to woo farmers, who had been apprehensive of the initiative, with several village panchayats in Mohali, Jalandhar and Ludhiana urging Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to roll back the policy.

The move has come weeks after the government discontinued the provision of offering commercial sites to owners contributing less than 3 kanals of land, a benefit that was provided by the previous Congress government.

According to an order issued recently, the government has allowed a maximum of eight owners to club their land to get both residential and commercial sites by breaching the minimum threshold.

The owners may be members of a family or from outside it. Explaining the change in the policy, a government functionary said, “Now, eight persons owing 1 kanal each can club their land to make it an acre.”

The new policy was unveiled in May to boost urban development, with the government claiming that is would benefit farmers and landowners who would get plots of higher value than the cost of actual land.

It has been rolled out for 27 urban centres.

Townships will be developed near several cities, including Ludhiana, where over 24,000 acres of agriculture land is expected to be acquired for the purpose.

The policy envisaged “complete voluntary participation” by landowners.

However, the scheme faced a political backlash as the government has announced to acquire about 40,000 acres in the state.

The Congress, BJP and the SAD have accused the government of colluding with developers to deprive farmers of their fertile land.

They alleged that it would result in large-scale corruption, with ruling AAP leaders making money out of the acquisition process.

Meanwhile, Manjeet Singh of Patton village in Mohali said his fellow villagers had refused to part with their land till the state government reverted to the land policy applicable during the previous Congress government.

“Earlier, the government offered a 150 sq yard residential plot and a 25 sq yard commercial booth against one kanal of acquired land. In lieu of two kanals, a 250 sq yard residential plot and a 60 sq yard commercial booth were offered, while for three kanals, a 250 sq yard residential and an 85 sq yard commercial site were offered,” he said.