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Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Residents question Punjab's ambitious land pooling policy: ‘Why expand when what's already been built remains empty?'
As the Punjab Government moves forward with its ambitious land pooling policy—aiming to acquire over 65,000 acres from 164 villages, with Ludhiana alone accounting for over 24,000 acres—a rising chorus of voices is questioning the rationale behind acquiring more farmland for urbanisation when many existing housing projects lie unfinished or completely abandoned. Residents, activists, and even political leaders are pointing to several Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA)-approved projects that have either failed to attract buyers or remain stalled for over two decades. Most of the abandoned projects were planned under the optimised utilisation of vacant government land rather than acquiring farm land. Projects on paper, but ghost towns on the ground Take the example of Lala Lajpat Rai Enclave in Jagraon—a PUDA-approved colony built in 2009 on 113 acres of land that previously housed the Jagraon Sugar Mill. 'The cooperative sugar mill was shut in the mid-1990s. In 2009, the then SAD-BJP Government launched this residential project. While many plots were auctioned, today the colony is deserted—just three or four houses exist. There's no resale market, and many plots remain unsold,' said Didar Singh Dhillon, a resident of Malak village in Ludhiana district. 'Close to this colony, the Punjab Government plans to acquire 530 acres of fertile land of the Malak, Aligarh and Pona villages for so-called urbanisation'. The colony has roads, electricity poles, and infrastructure, but no residents. 'When even an approved colony with amenities finds no takers, what's the point of creating more such colonies by making farmers landless?' Dhillon asked. Mansa: Gates locked, grass overgrown A similar fate awaits a 52-acre PUDA enclave in Mansa, located just 4 km from the main city on the Mansa–Barnala road. 'This is a gated colony where the gates are always locked. Wild grass grows over empty plots. Roads and electricity poles exist, but nobody lives there. Plots were sold, but now no one wants to buy,' said Gurlabh Singh Mahal, an advocate and local resident. Ironically, while this colony decays, the Government plans to acquire 125 more acres in Mansa under the land pooling policy. Mahal points to another project: 'Over 100 acres were acquired for a Punjab Technical University campus on the Mansa–Sardulgarh road during SAD-BJP's second term (2007–2012). That land too lies unused. Why not urbanise that first?' Bathinda: Phases started in 2011, still incomplete In Bathinda, phases 4 and 5 of the Urban Estate launched in 2011 are still incomplete. 'Even today, some parks are not developed. The basic civic infrastructure is unfinished,' said Sarup Singla, Bathinda district BJP president. Despite this, the Government has now notified 894 acres in Bathinda under the land pooling policy—raising concerns about priorities and planning. Muktsar: only walls, no allottees In Muktsar, another PUDA colony—announced during SAD-BJP's second term—exists only as a boundary wall and a gate. Plot demarcation is complete, but not a single plot has been allotted. These projects fall under the jurisdiction of the Bathinda Development Authority, which also oversees urbanisation plans in Mansa, Faridkot, Fazilka, and Muktsar. Ludhiana's PUDA-approved private colonies also struggling Even private colonies approved in the Dakha, Jagraon Assembly constituencies of Ludhiana under previous development drives are in limbo. In Bhanohar village, one such colony spread over 100 acres has barely three-four families residing and Bhanohar comes under the current land pooling policy. 'This colony has existed for over 15 years. It's nothing but demarcated and sold plots. If the Government really wants to urbanise, they should revive such projects where investors' hard-earned money is stuck,' said Gurlabh Singh Mahal, adding that ignoring dead projects while acquiring fertile land would send the wrong signal to farmers. Punjab's land pooling push The Punjab Government recently introduced the land pooling policy to build townships by acquiring land from farmers through pooling, rather than outright purchase. Farmers contributing land will receive a portion back as developed plots, with the rest sold to finance civic infrastructure. While as per the Government, the policy is a 'win-win' initiative for landowners and the state, it has sparked intense opposition in villages across Punjab. Farmer unions and resident groups say the policy is an attempt to forcibly urbanise fertile land, while older urbanisation efforts have failed to deliver on their promises. 'CM Bhagwant Mann on Sunday visited village Libra of Samrala constituency just to project that he is meeting villages amid protests against land pooling policy. But Libra village doesn't come under the land pooling policy… The CM must visit the villages where over 50 per cent land is under the land pooling policy and that too after announcing his visit, rather than making hurried visits for social media presence,' said Pritpal Singh Baliawal, a BJP spokesperson. With mass protests, resolutions passed by gram sabhas, and even posters banning leaders of the ruling AAP in villages, the Government faces increasing pressure to complete or revive its existing projects before seeking more land under its urbanisation agenda.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Ludhiana villagers oppose Punjab govt's land pooling scheme for urban expansion, plan protest on Monday
A growing number of villagers in Ludhiana have come out strongly against the Punjab government's ambitious land pooling scheme, questioning the state's ability to develop new urban estates when several old colonies remain incomplete or abandoned for decades. Residents of Malak, Pona and Aligarh have announced that they will not give even an inch of their fertile agricultural land for the proposed urban expansion. A protest dharna has been called in Jagraon on Monday, with participation expected from multiple villages. In Ludhiana, around 32 villages are being affected due to this proposed land pooling scheme. At a meeting in Chandigarh last month, the villagers had announced their opposition to the landpooling scheme. Didar Singh Dhillon, a resident of Malak village in Jagraon, pointed to the defunct Jagraon sugar mill as a classic example. 'This cooperative mill was closed down in the mid-1990s. In 2009, the then SAD-BJP government decided to convert its 113 acres into a residential colony under the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA). Many plots were auctioned but today the colony lies abandoned — only three-four houses have come up. People can't even resell their plots and there are hardly any buyers, and many remain unauctioned,' Dhillon said. He added, 'Now under the new land pooling scheme, the Punjab government plans to acquire over 24,000 acres in Ludhiana alone, including nearly 350 acres from our village. How can we trust them with new estates when the old one in our backyard about 4 km away remains a ghost colony?' Neighbouring Pona and Aligarh villages face similar concerns, with about 250 acres of land collectively earmarked for acquisition under the same scheme. Balwinder Singh from Bhanohar village in Dakha constituency said villagers feel betrayed by repeated promises that have failed to show any result. 'Our village alone has a private PUDA-approved colony spread over 100 acres that has been abandoned for more than 10 years. Investors' money is stuck. Not just this — even reputed developers' colonies in South City, one of Ludhiana's most posh areas, are still not 100 per cent occupied,' he said. 'The City Centre project in a prime location of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar in Ludhiana district is in limbo due to legal disputes for more than 15 years now. On Rani Jhansi Road in Ghumar Mandi, a multi-storeyed government commercial building lies unused while private buildings nearby are thriving. The list is long,' he said. Singh argued that instead of acquiring more prime agricultural land, the government should focus on providing facilities and clearances for pending projects and help clear the huge backlog that has left hundreds of investors in limbo. On Tuesday, villagers from Malak, Pona, and Aligarh held a joint meeting to chalk out their protest strategy. 'We have decided not to give our land under the so-called voluntary land pooling scheme. Anyone who wants to support the ruling AAP government can snap ties with us — we have told them categorically,' Dhillon said. Harpreet Singh, Jagtar Singh, and other local residents pledged full support to the July 7 dharna. According to villagers, the Punjab Government has issued advertisements in newspapers inviting voluntary acquisition of over 7,800 acres in the first phase, as part of its larger goal of urban development under the new land pooling policy. The scheme, which is being pitched as a 'win-win' model for both landowners and the government, aims to avoid litigation and ensure faster development of residential and industrial estates. However, the backlash highlights the deep mistrust that many villagers now hold after past experiences with incomplete colonies and stalled commercial projects. 'What's the point of building new cities on paper when old ones have turned into jungles?' asked Dhillon. Whether the government can win the villagers' confidence and move ahead with its plans will become clearer in the coming weeks — especially as more villages hold meetings and decide their stance on the so-called voluntary pooling process.
