Punjab all set to bring farmhouse policy in eco-fragile Kandi area

Coming to the “rescue” of several influential people, including politicians and bureaucrats, the Punjab government is all set to bring a farmhouse policy for eco-fragile Kandi area in lower Shivalik Hills, stretching from Mohali district to Pathankot district.

The policy is likely to be tabled in Friday’s cabinet meeting. 

The farmhouse policy will apply to the land taken out of the purview of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900. The biggest beneficiaries will be those having land or already-constructed farmhouses in the Chandigarh periphery.

The policy has been tailor-made to suit the landowners in Chandigarh’s periphery, allowing a farmhouse on 4,000 sq yd (nearly one acre) of land. Anticipating the policy, a number of people had been buying land in the area, pushing the prices high.

Expressing concerns, forest officials said the Supreme Court guidelines would have to be enforced, otherwise forest and wildlife norms would be a casualty. 

The Punjab government has been under pressure from the powerful lobby to bring the farm house policy as a number of VIPs have already raised farmhouses in the delisted land. In the absence of any such policy, the farmhouse owners had been facing demolition notices for violating housing department norms.

Officials in the forest department said the policy had been facing hurdles due to the Periphery Act, proposed Sukhna eco-sensitive zone, and the Supreme Court guidelines on land use in areas taken out of the purview of the PLPA.

A committee was constituted by Secretary, Housing, Vikas Garg, on the directions of Chief Secretary KAP Sinha to frame guidelines for regularisation of authorised structures.

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Ironically, several people, including politicians, and former bureaucrats own land in the area.

Earlier, officials privy to the development said, “Departments, including Housing, and Forest, are not on the same page. The area where structures stand is coming within the proposed eco-sensitive zone, expected to be notified soon by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.”

The issue has taken the centre-stage after the Eco-Tourism Development Committee rejected regularisation pleas of around 90 farmhouse owners, making it clear that the existing structures were in violation of the guidelines.

For the areas taken out of the purview of the PLPA, the state government made the Housing and the Local Government departments responsible for framing guidelines in 2010, subject to the land being used for bona fide agricultural use and livelihood support for landowners, but prohibiting commercial activities.