E-Paper
Chandigarh administration has not formulated any land pooling policy: Centre
At present, over 3,000 acres in Chandigarh is privately owned. Including government land, the total available area comes to around 4,000 acres. Of this, approximately 500 acres is with the Chandigarh municipal corporation, while the rest is under the UT administration and other government departments.
Minister of state (MoS) for home affairs Nityanand Rai has clarified that the Chandigarh administration has neither formulated a land pooling policy nor is it considering it. There are 22 villages in the city having around 3,000 acres of agricultural land.
The minister was responding to a question posed by Chandigarh Member of Parliament (MP) Manish Tewari during the ongoing monsoon session.
The clarification has come as a setback for thousands of residents who have been waiting for a land pooling policy for several years. Tewari had asked whether the Union ministry of home affairs was considering introducing a policy on the lines of the models implemented in Punjab and Haryana, where landowners are given developed plots instead of financial compensation. He also sought to know whether there were plans to promote a public-private partnership approach through such a policy. In reply, Rai stated that the administration had informed him that no such proposal was currently on its agenda.
Satinder Singh Sidhu, nominated councillor and president Chandigarh Pendu Vikas Manch, said, “It is very sad that despite repeated requests to formulate a land policy, which is pending for the last many years, the UT administration has not taken a serious view of this. We have requested to have land pooling on the pattern of Punjab and Haryana, as it will help curb the illegal sale of small plots in villages.”
About 4,000 acres available
At present, over 3,000 acres in Chandigarh is privately owned. Including government land, the total available area comes to around 4,000 acres. Of this, approximately 500 acres is with the Chandigarh municipal corporation, while the rest is under the UT administration and other government departments. To put the scale into perspective, an entire sector can be developed on about 50 acres, as was seen in the development of Sector 38 (West).
Land pooling success in Punjab & Haryana
In Punjab, the development of New Chandigarh was carried out under the land pooling model, where farmers and landowners were given developed plots in exchange for their land, while the government used the remaining land for infrastructure and projects. Similarly, Mohali’s Aerocity and most new projects in Panchkula have been developed through land pooling. This model not only accelerates development but also ensures that landowners receive a share in the benefits.
