Rajpura-Mohali rail project: Punjab Govt asked to appoint land acquisition authority, arbitrator

Northern Railway has written to the Punjab Government requesting the nomination of a Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA) and an arbitrator for the “Rajpura-Mohali New Line (18.11 km)” project.

According to a Gazette Notification (Amendment) Act-2008, the Central Government has notified the project as a “Special Railway Project”, for the acquisition of approximately 53.84 hectares of land in the districts of Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (SAS Nagar) for national infrastructure purposes.

The notification was published in the official gazette on October 24.

In the letter to the Punjab Government, a copy of which is with The Tribune, Northern Railway stated: “The successful and timely completion of this crucial railway infrastructure project is vital for regional connectivity and economic development.

“It may be noted that Railway do not have sufficient number of suitable officers having experience of land acquisition to act as a competent authority. It is therefore requested to appoint a Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA) and arbitrator for the acquisition of land under the provisions of the Railway (Amendment) Act, 2008.”

The land required for the project spans Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, and SAS Nagar districts, the communique added.