Rs 30,000/Acre Aid, Plots With Full Amenities In 27 Cities

In a significant development aimed at streamlining urban expansion and tackling the menace of illegal colonies, the Punjab Cabinet on Monday approved a new Land Pooling Policy.

- Taruni Gandhi Chandigarh

Under this land pooling scheme, for every one acre of land pooled with the government, the farmer will receive a 1,000-square-yard residential plot and a 200-square-yard commercial plot.

The government will undertake full infrastructure development on the returned plots, including the construction of roads, water supply, sewerage, street lighting, and public parks.

Until the final plots are ready and handed over, the landowners will receive annual compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre, for a maximum of three years.

Each landowner will receive an entitlement certificate detailing the plots they will get in return. The beneficiaries will also have the option to choose between two 500-square-yard plots or other configurations, based on policy guidelines.

The returned plots, once developed, are expected to be worth up to four times the current market value of the contributed land.

Provisions for Larger Land Holdings: The policy also lays down incentives for those contributing larger tracts of land: A farmer contributing nine acres of land will get back three acres of developed land, suitable for commercial use.

Cabinet meeting held at CM Bhagwant Mann residence.

This step is designed to break the existing nexus of land sharks, illegal colonists, and certain local officials, which has historically led to haphazard urban sprawl without basic civic amenities.