CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The Punjab Government has approved the acquisition of more than 5,100 acres in Mohali and New Chandigarh, reverting to the 2013 land acquisition law months after scrapping its land pooling policy.
A senior government functionary said the state had issued a notification under Section 11 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, covering 4,059 acres in Mohali. Compensation awards for another 1,048 acres under acquisition in New Chandigarh will be released soon, the official added.
“This is one of the largest land acquisition exercises in recent years. The process now moves forward under statutory compensation and full transparency,” the official said.
The return to the old law follows fierce farmer protests and political opposition to the state’s land pooling policy, under which farmers were to receive developed plots instead of monetary compensation. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had also placed the policy under interim stay before the government withdrew it in August.
