Sukhbir ups ante against govt over land-pooling
Shiromani Akali Dal
Tuesday intensified its protest against Punjab govt's plan to pool about 40,000 acres of land in 164 villages of the state to come up with urban estates and industrial pockets.
The biggest chunk of land — about 25,000 acres — is to be pooled in Ludhiana alone.
Badal appealed to the panchayats of affected villages to pass a resolution in their respective areas, stating that they would not allow even an inch of land to be acquired by Punjab govt, come what may.
Addressing a protest at Ferozepur Road near the mini secretariat, the SAD president demanded the immediate revocation of the entire 40,000-acre land acquisition plan.
He said the SAD would intensify the agitation against the "land grab" by holding weekly protests, with the first one being held on July 28 in Mohali and on August 4 at Bathinda.
Significantly, this is the third time in the last two months that the SAD chief has addressed gatherings and led protests in Ludhiana against the land pooling policy. The issue has snowballed into a political controversy with a large number of farmer organisations and opposition parties stiffly opposing the move.
by Taboola
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Badal kept on raising the issue even while campaigning for the SAD candidate during the Ludhiana (West) bypoll, despite the fact that the assembly segment was purely an urban pocket.
Initially, SAD had planned Tuesday's protest on July 15 but postponed it to July 22 amid the forecast of heavy rain. Though Ludhiana saw heavy rain Tuesday as well, SAD president
Sukhbir Badal
announced on social media in the morning that the protest will be held as planned and not pushed forward any further.
On the other hand, Punjab cabinet Tuesday amended the policy whereby even those who will pool one kanal of land will be given 125 square yards residential plot and 25 square yards of commercial space in the developed land parcel. Moreover, the govt has also offered that even after pooling their land, farmers can keep cultivating their land and the govt will offer them Rs 50,000 per acre per year. After the govt takes possession of such land, the amount would be raised to Rs one lakh per acre, with a 10% hike every year till the parcel is developed.
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