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4w ago

Punjab Villages Reject Land Pooling as Opposition Rallies for Statewide Protests

Dozens of villages have formally rejected the voluntary land pooling policy, with protests set to begin on July 15, highlighting compensation concerns under the 1995 planning act.

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The conflict between development of agricultural sector and non-agricultural sectors becomes more pronounced when agriculture becomes commercialised like industry. This is exactly the position in Punjab. (HT file photo)
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Overview

  • More than a dozen gram sabhas in Mohali and villages in Ludhiana have passed resolutions refusing to pool land under the government’s urbanisation scheme.
  • SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and BJP chief Sunil Jakhar have organised statewide protests beginning in Ludhiana on July 15 to challenge the policy.
  • Farmers and opposition allege the use of the 1995 Punjab Regional Town Planning and Development Act reduces compensation and enables land to be leased or auctioned to private developers.
  • Punjab government maintains that the scheme is voluntary, promising 1,000-sq-yd residential and 200-sq-yd commercial plots in exchange for each acre pooled and pledges no forced acquisitions.
  • The standoff threatens the government’s plan to raise tens of thousands of crores in urban development revenues to fund welfare programmes ahead of the 2027 elections.