LAND POOLING SCHEME; A MAJOR BOON FOR FARMERS BY BHAGWANT MANN
FOLKS OF VILLAGES UNDER LAND POOLING SCHEME FULLY SATISFIED
HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT MINISTER MEETS RESIDENTS OF 164 VILLAGES
LOI AND RS.50K PER ACRE CASH TO BE PROVIDED WITHIN 21 DAYS: MUNDIAN
MUNDIAN ADVISES VILLAGERS TO REMAIN ALERT AGAINST MISLEADING PROPAGANDA BY OPPOSITION PARTIES
Chandigarh, July 21:
Every pro-people decision taken by the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann-led government is being implemented with public consultation. As part of this approach, Housing and Urban Development Minister S. Hardeep Singh Mundian held deliberations with residents of 164 villages covered under the Land Pooling Scheme, here at Municipal Bhawan, to gather their feedback and address concerns related to the scheme.
Later, during the press conference at Punjab Bhawan, S. Hardeep Singh Mundian provided details of the discussions with villagers and informed that queries raised by people were addressed on the spot, which left the villagers completely satisfied. Explaining the policy features in response to people’s questions, the Cabinet Minister said that from the day the LOI (Letter of Intent) is issued, farmers will receive Rs.50,000 per acre and farmers will continue cultivating their land. Within 21 days of application by landowners, LOI and Rs.50,000 cash will be provided. From the day the government takes possession, lease amount of Rs.1 lakh per acre per annum will be given and if the government takes two or three years, there will be 10% annual increase in the lease amount.
S. Mundian informed that the meeting resolved farmers’ doubts and the scheme received public support. He also urged residents of other villages to remain vigilant against misleading propaganda by opposition parties.
The Cabinet Minister said that the government will continue holding meetings with farmers from concerned villages in the future. He said, farmers will receive residential and commercial plots under the Land Pooling Scheme, adding that previous governments encouraged illegal colonies to benefit only selected individuals, leading to unplanned urban development, while colony residents remained deprived of basic amenities. “The new scheme will ensure that commercial properties in planned colonies become a permanent source of income for farmers”, the Cabinet Minister stated categorically.
S. Mundian stressed that this progressive Land Pooling Scheme, which prioritizes planned development, is also people-friendly, about which opposition parties are spreading misinformation to serve their narrow political interests.
The Cabinet Minister again clarified that under the Land Pooling Scheme, land will not be forcibly acquired but all the decisions will be taken with farmers’ consent, which will benefit the farmers. Only the land of consenting farmers will be taken under this policy, he added.
