Punjab junks land pooling policy after fierce backlash

Amid mounting pressure from farmers, landowners, party leaders and workers, and following a sharp rap from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Aam Aadmi Party government on Monday rolled back its land pooling policy.

The move comes just days after the high court stayed the policy for four weeks, criticising the government for seeking to take over “the most fertile land in Punjab” without conducting any environmental or social impact assessment.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, it is learnt, signed the withdrawal order this evening after the proposal was formally placed before him. A notification will be issued shortly and the decision will be ratified by the Council of Ministers at the next Cabinet meeting, sources said.

A communiqué from the Principal Secretary for Housing stated, “The government hereby withdraws the land pooling policy and its subsequent amendments. Consequently, all actions taken thereunder shall be reversed henceforth.”

The announcement has been welcomed by farmers and landowners, while Opposition parties claimed credit for forcing the rollback.

Talking to The Tribune, Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said farmers had not taken to the policy positively. “We have always been a pro-farmer government and their interest has been paramount. The policy was meant to make them equal partners in development rather than letting them be exploited by builders. However, we have respected their opinion and decided to withdraw it,” he said.

Sources in the government and ruling party said after the high court stay, senior AAP leaders held a closed-door meeting with officers who framed the policy. Besides, top party leaders consulted ministers, MLAs and grassroots workers to gauge the political fallout. “The feedback was that the policy’s unpopularity was overshadowing all other development initiatives of the government,” a senior AAP functionary said.

With dissent growing inside the party and farmers intensifying protests, including barring AAP leaders from entering villages and passing resolutions against giving up land, the leadership opted for a pragmatic withdrawal. Over the past few days, as farmer unions and Opposition parties united in their protests, AAP found itself on the back foot. Even the CM stopped publicly speaking in favour of the policy.

The high court had stayed the policy last week, censuring the government for notifying it “in haste” without addressing concerns such as environmental and social impact assessments, timelines, and grievance redressal mechanisms. The policy envisioned acquiring 65,533 acres, including 45,861 acres in Ludhiana district alone, in exchange for residential and commercial plots for landowners. First announced in May this year, it quickly met with political and farmer resistance. Notably, the scheme had originally been introduced by the Akali-BJP government and successfully implemented in Mohali.

Malvinder Singh Kang, AAP MP from Anandpur Sahib, who was the first party leader to publically flag concerns over the policy, lauded the move. “The decisive action is yet another reflection of AAP’s unshakable commitment towards state’s farmers and public sentiment. The AAP government has shown that it respects public sentiment,” he said.

State Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the policy was notified in a haste. “Lakhs of rupees of the state exchequer were spent on publicising the policy. AAP leaders who framed the flawed policy must be held accountable,” Warring demanded.