Panjab Approves Land Pooling Policy

On 2 Jun, the Panjab Council of Ministers approved the Land Pooling Policy, aimed at curbing illegal colonization. Under the policy, farmers can voluntarily offer their land for development and, in return, receive a residential plot and a commercial site in lieu of one acre of land. Farmers will have the choice to develop the land themselves or hand it over to private developers or government agencies. If a person contributes nine acres of land, three acres will be returned to the owner for developing a group housing society, i.e., one-third of the pooled land is returned to the owner. Under the scheme, for every one acre of land contributed to the developer, the owner will receive a 1,000-square-yard residential plot and a 200-square-yard commercial plot. The developer will be responsible for all external development work. Additionally, until the owners receive the residential and commercial sites, they will be paid USD 350 per acre per year for up to three years. Panjab Renewable Energy Minister Aman Arora clarified that the policy is entirely voluntary, with no element of coercion. 'This initiative will initially be launched in 27 cities across the state,' he said. Panjab Indian National Congress president and Ludhiana Member of Parliament Amarinder Singh Raja Warring sent a letter to Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, stating, 'Panjab is an agricultural state. We cannot afford to sacrifice green fields to cement and concrete, especially when there is no urgent requirement. You are stripping tens of thousands of farmers of their livelihoods, pushing them from prosperity to poverty. The large-scale acquisition would not only cripple the rural economy but also threaten Panjab's agricultural identity. If executed, this will turn farmers into landless labourers in urban slums. The anger among affected communities is real and growing.’ He questioned the necessity of acquiring new land when many existing colonies around Ludhiana remain underdeveloped. Warring urged Mann to reconsider the proposal, saying, 'Our ancestors belong to this land and so will our children. Let's not destroy what they built.’ Chandigarh farmers too demand a land pooling policy on the Panjab pattern (earlier coverage).