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Mohali: Kang raises farmers’ land acquisition,compensation issues with GMADA chief
The meeting was attended by village sarpanches and farmer leaders from different parts of Mohali district, who highlighted problems faced by farmers, labourers, original landowners and economically weaker sections whose land has been acquired for various development projects around Mohali
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Delays in compensation for acquired land, pending rehabilitation benefits and lack of basic amenities in affected villages were among the issues raised at a meeting chaired by Anandpur Sahib MP Malvinder Singh Kang with Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) chief administrator Sandeep Rishi on Monday.
The meeting was attended by village sarpanches and farmer leaders from different parts of Mohali district, who highlighted problems faced by farmers, labourers, original landowners and economically weaker sections whose land has been acquired for various development projects around Mohali.
The discussion focused on delays in compensation, particularly in Aerotropolis Blocks B, C and D (acquired in 2021 and delayed due to orchard farm scam) and the need to expedite the issuance of letters of intent (LOIs) and release of rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) benefits to eligible landowners.
Kang said that while planned development must continue, the rights and economic interests of original landowners and affected villagers should be protected. He also called for basic facilities, including drinking water, sewerage, parks and parking, to be provided in villages affected by land acquisition so that residents do not suffer due to development activities.
Another key demand concerned the time-bound restriction on farmers seeking new agricultural motor connections after their land is acquired. The representatives sought permission for farmers to obtain connections whenever they purchase alternative agricultural land, without being bound by the existing deadline.
The proposed takeover of Sector 125 of the Sunny Enclave mega project in Kharar was also discussed, with representatives seeking relief for affected residents. Other issues included delays in payments, land clubbing and the need for fair, transparent and uniform implementation of GMADA policies.
Officials resolved several matters during the meeting, while issues falling within the jurisdiction of other departments and authorities will be taken up with the concerned ministries and the chief minister for an early resolution.
As far as the latest acquisition of Blocks, E to J are concerned, GMADA officials explained that, unlike the tedious process earlier, new first-in, first-out (FIFO) system, files are now processed strictly in the order in which they are received on the online portal. Regarding Sector 125, GMADA denied responsibility, stating that the area falls under the jurisdiction of the Kharar municipal council.
Furthermore, Aerteropolis project involves a large land parcel for which GMADA is expected to issue around 3,500 LOIs for Blocks E to J. Earlier, only about 500 LOIs were processed in a year. So, the burden has increased exponentially while the staff handling the work remained the same.
The government has approved 10 additional patwaris to speed up the work, but their appointment process was delayed following the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) raid in September end. Officials said the appointments would take around another 15 days and the pending LOIs were most likely to be processed closer to December.
Kang stressed that the concerns of farmers, labourers and affected villagers must be addressed and said sustained coordination with the authorities was necessary to resolve their long-pending grievances.
Orchard scam
The ₹140-crore GMADA guava orchard scam involved nearly 100 individuals, including senior bureaucrats’ wives and GMADA patwaris, who leaked land acquisition data to buy land and falsely claim mature orchards existed on fields that actually grew wheat and paddy.The land acquisition process timeline stretched heavily, with preliminary notices issued as far back as December 2017, followed by Section 11 and Section 19 declarations in October 2019 and January 2021.
However, the final award and development of the Aerotropolis project faced massive delays. The ED heavily paralysed the payment machinery by freezing bank accounts, conducting wide-scale raids, and filing massive 11,500-page chargesheets under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). This frozen legal environment completely stalled infrastructure development in Block A, leaving hundreds of genuine Land Pooling LOI holders stranded without their developed plots or layout clarity.
