Farmers stage protest in GMADA office against land pooling policy
Landowners of Bari, Kurdi, Siaun, Matran, Patton, Bakarpur, Kishanpura and Chhat villages once again expressed their disagreement to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s new land pooling policy for the Aerotropolis Phase-2 project by staging a protest inside the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) office today.
Led by Numberdar Harvinder Singh of Sohana, landowners raised slogans against GMADA and said their land had been acquired long ago but they have not yet got the possession of their commercial premises. The protesting landowners said that they will not give their land in Sector 87 to GMADA at any cost.
Notably, the development authority’s Land Acquisition Collector Sanjeev Kumar had for a second time called a meeting after the landowners refused to give their land at Bari village on June 30 but agreement was arrived at as landowners refused to give land in writing to the GMADA officials. They also submitted their objections.
GMADA had earlier on June 21 invited farmers and landowners of seven Mohali villages to offer their land under the landpooling policy for Aerotropolis Phase-2 near Aerocity and IT City.
It plans to create urban estate by acquiring 3,535.085 acres land in Patton, Kurdi, Siaun, Bari, Bakarpur, Matran, Kishanpura, Chhat village of the district.
The Land Acquisition Collector had assured the representatives of the panchayats to convey all their demands to the higher authorities during the second meeting.
Advocate Gurbir Singh Antal of Badi village, Gurpartap Singh Badi, Harminder Singh Patton, Gurvinder Singh Bakarpur, Nirmal Singh, Gurbhajan Singh Numberdar, Gurjant Singh, Harkirat Singh and others said the farmers from their villages will not give land at any price under the new policy.
Their main grouse was that GMADA gives residential and commercial land to the farmers on less important places. Similarly, there are many other shortcomings such as not fixing the time limit, delay in releasing LOI. The farmers said the survey being conducted by GMADA through a private company is not technically correct.
Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh said, “The government will take a decision keeping in mind the feelings of landowners and farmers.”
“All shortcomings which have been pointed out are being removed. All the members of the family can join their land and sell by availing the benefits of clubbing the land. Even if the land is in pockets, it can be joined and sold — a notification has also been issued in this regard. Before acquiring the land, objections will be invited from the landowners and residents and they will be suitably addressed. Without the consent of the landowner, no land will be acquired,” he added.
Chandigarh