The acquisition of 13 acres of donated land near the Aerocity area by Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has sparked dissent in the local Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) ranks.
As the SGPC is said to have already chalked out a resolution for the land acquisition, some members are opposing the same, raising concerns over the rationality of the move.
The land in question is part of the 24-acre chunk located in Sainimajra village which was donated around six decades ago by a woman to Gurdwara Amb Sahib in Phase 8 here for the promotion of religious activities and benefit of the local Sikh community. In 1998, the gurdwara came under the jurisdiction of the SGPC.
In 2012, with the SGPC’s facilitation, GMADA had acquired 11 acres of land at the cost of ₹19.36 crore, despite stiff opposition from the local SGPC representative. In lieu, the SGPC purchased 59 acres of land in Bagrian village in Malerkotla for ₹19 crore.
SGPC member from Mohali, Hardeep Singh, said, “It is sad that the SGPC is again allowing the acquisition of 13 acres of donated land in a prime location of Mohali. Earlier too, they got a compensation of ₹19.36 crore and bought land in far-off Malerkotla, but its value has decreased to ₹9 crore from ₹19 crore. The land swapping should take place within the same locality, else there is no real benefit of the move.”
{{/usCountry}}SGPC member from Mohali, Hardeep Singh, said, “It is sad that the SGPC is again allowing the acquisition of 13 acres of donated land in a prime location of Mohali. Earlier too, they got a compensation of ₹19.36 crore and bought land in far-off Malerkotla, but its value has decreased to ₹9 crore from ₹19 crore. The land swapping should take place within the same locality, else there is no real benefit of the move.”
{{/usCountry}}The value of the prime land now is ₹66 crore, he added.
SGPC manager for Amb Sahib Gurdwara, Rajinder Singh has already prepared a resolution for giving the 13-acre land to GMADA under the land pooling scheme.
Former sarpanch of Sainimajra village, Avatar Singh said that the SGPC should plan a hospital on the remaining 12.5-acre land instead of going for land pooling. “In land pooling, the gurdwara will lose 9.5 acres of land. SGPC will get residential and commercial plots. What will it will do with them? Such plots would be ultimately sold causing further loss of hundreds of crores to the gurdwara,” he said.
Gurcharan Singh, a member of Amb Sahib gurdwara body, said that when he SGPC sold 11-acre donated land in 2012, the gurdwara faced a loss of ₹57 crore, and such a mistake should not be repeated as the land purchased in Malerkotla is of no use to the Mohali area sangat.
When contacted, SGPC additional secretary Sukhdev Singh said, “We are trying to stop this and will soon hold a meeting with the authorities concerned.”
About the local SGPC panel having already prepared the resolution, he said that the final decision would be taken in the executive committee meeting of the SGPC.