On Monday, the Punjab Cabinet approved the Land Pooling Policy, with Cabinet Minister Aman Arora emphasizing that no land will be forcibly taken from landowners. The Cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, took place here.
Following the meeting, Renewable Energy Minister Arora criticized opposition parties for allegedly deceiving the public regarding the state government’s Land Pooling Policy over the past few days. Arora asserted that this Land Pooling Policy is unparalleled, not just within the state but across the nation.
Addressing the opposition, Arora stated that they were attempting to mislead the public into believing that the state government would forcibly acquire farmers’ land. “I want to clarify that not even a single yard will be taken (by the state government),” he remarked, further noting that the Cabinet has sanctioned the Land Pooling Policy. Under this policy, landowners have the option to either transfer their land to the state government or a builder, or they may choose to develop the land independently, he explained.
In its initial phase, this Policy will be rolled out in 27 major cities, the minister informed reporters here. In a critique of previous administrations, Arora accused them of creating policies that solely benefited the land mafia and served vested interests. Providing further details, Arora mentioned that under this Policy, a landowner will receive a 1,000 square yard residential plot and a 200 square yard commercial plot in fully developed land in exchange for one acre of land.
He additionally stated that if an individual contributes nine acres of land, they will receive three acres of land in return for the development of a group housing project. This implies that one-third of the pooled land will be returned to the original landowner, he noted. Opposition parties, along with certain farmer groups, have been criticizing the AAP government, alleging that it has proposed the acquisition of 24,311 acres of land in Ludhiana for the purpose of developing new urban estates. The state government had previously indicated that the Land Pooling Policy was intended to promote transparent and well-planned urban development throughout the state.
