Panjab to Acquire 11,103 Acres; Drug Menace Consumes Lives

April

2026

The Panjab government is set to acquire 11,103 acres across Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar (Greater Mohali) and New Chandigarh to build seven new townships, seven new sectors, and three new pockets of Aerotropolis near the Chandigarh International Airport. The land acquisition process is at an advanced stage and signals a significant policy pivot from the earlier Land Pooling Policy, 2025, which was withdrawn by the state in August 2025 following protests. The government then notified a revised Land Pooling Policy in November 2025, making it entirely optional for farmers. Officials claim the new policy is heavily loaded in farmers’ favor. For every acre surrendered under the scheme, farmers are entitled to either 1.6K sq. yd. of residential land, or a combination of 1K sq. yd. of residential land and 200 sq. yd. of commercial land. Meanwhile, the Panjab government claims a conviction rate of up to 88% in 2025 under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985. Panjab had 6,488 convictions in 7,373 cases. In 2026, 1,634 convictions have already been secured in the 1,831 cases decided so far. The high conviction rate was the result of multiple systemic interventions, including structured training programs and institutional collaboration with Rajeev Gandhi National University of Law, Patiala, where all investigating officers undergo a mandatory six-day certification training. However, the story of Manjit Kaur and Joginder Pal Singh reflects a different reality. Residents of Sultanpur Lodhi, the couple has lost four of their sons to drugs, with the fifth son on his death bed. The couple claimed that drugs are freely available, adding ‘there is a huge gap between what the state claims about controlling drugs and the reality on-ground’. Meanwhile, the Himachal Pradesh govt withdrew its decision to increase entry tax on five-seater and six-to-12-seater vehicles entering the state from outside following strong protests in neighboring Panjab. The fee for five-seater vehicles was to be raised from USD 0.75 to USD 1.88, while that for six-to 12-seater vehicles was to go up from USD 1.18 to USD 1.40, effective 31 Mar, but has now been stopped. Panjab too has not imposed any fee, though there was an earlier demand to impose one (earlier coverage).