Punjab Govt forcibly trying to acquire 24,000 acres in Ludhiana: Sukhbir Badal

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Wednesday demanded the immediate withdrawal of the government’s plan to develop urban estates over 24,000 acres in more than 30 villages adjoining Ludhiana.

Alleging that an attempt was being made by the government to acquire the land “forcibly”, he threatened to launch a state-wide protest if the government failed to roll back the initiative, a part of the recently unveiled land pooling policy.

In response, Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond accused Badal of “befooling people by misrepresenting facts” while rejecting the allegation of “forcible accusation”.

The policy was unveiled on May 22 by Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.

The policy had been in the works for quite some time as the cash-strapped state explored ways to boost its revenues in the wake of the mounting debt burden.

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

However, the SAD opposed the plan, with Badal leading a massive dharna outside the office of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA).

Badal, who is also a former deputy chief minister of the state, also demanded that the sale of land to residents of other states should be prohibited.

He said if his party returned to power in the 2027 Assembly elections, it would not allow residents of other states to buy land in Punjab.

“If Punjabis cannot purchase land in Himachal Pradesh, why should Punjab allow outsiders to buy land here?” he asked.

Bdala also promised to reserve jobs for Punjabis only, if voted to power.

He alleged that a majority of the jobs provided by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had been given to residents of other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.

“If Punjabis are not allowed to secure government jobs in states like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab should adopt the same policy and reserve jobs for Punjabis only,” Badal demanded.

Badal also accused AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal of “looting Punjab and its people”. “It is our duty to save the state from such outsiders,” he said.

He claimed that even on inauguration plaques of several projects, Kejriwal’s name was displayed prominently, while CM Bhagwant Mann’s name appeared in small letters.

Reacting to it, minister Sond said his government’s land pooling policy would result in multi-fold profit to owners of agriculture land.

“There will be no forcible acquisition of land. It will depend on the will of the landowners. Once acquired, the government will develop modern infrastructure on the land and owners will get four times more the value of their land,” he said.