Punjab Govt Withdraws Land Pooling Policy Amid Protests & Political Pressure

Chandigarh: Ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab on Monday withdrew its land pooling policy amid mounting farmers’, political parties’ and legal pressure.

For record, the Punjab Cabinet had on June 2 last, approved its land pooling policy for the acquisition of land for housing and related projects aimed at promoting planned urban development.

It planned to acquire about 65,000 acres of land in 27 cities and towns including Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, though its policy met with severe opposition from not only the opposition parties but also the farmer unions who said that government’s plan to acquire land on such a large scale would displace thousands of farmers from their fertile land.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court which also heard a plea in the case, rapped the government for what it held, bringing in the policy without undertaking an assessment of any environmental, social impact as well as the concerns of farmers, and stayed it last week.

Yet, the protests by various farmers’ organisations and political parties, namely, Congress, BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) against the said policy, continued, until the news pertaining to its withdrawal came out on Monday evening.

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Meanwhile, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring welcomed the withdrawal of the policy, stating that with it, the farmers stand was vindicated in their opposition to the policy which ``would not only have turned them into paupers but would have damaged Punjab socially, economically and environmentally”, he said and added that better sense prevailed on the government.

Congress is the principal opposition party in Punjab.