HC stays Punjab's land pooling policy,SAD to protest against govt

Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed Land Pooling scheme being implemented by the Punjab Government till further orders. The pause came in response to a petition filed by Advocate Gurdeep Singh Gill, a Ludhiana-based resident, who challenged the legality and constitutionality of the policy. Gill's petition alleged that the policy was enacted without the mandatory social and environmental impact assessments, and bypassed consultation with Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas, in violation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Gurjeet Singh confirmed that the High Court had directed the Punjab government to file a reply within four weeks. The petition pointed out that there exists no legal mechanism to challenge the policy under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act, leaving affected individuals with no avenue for redressal.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday slammed the AAP government over its land pooling policy, calling it a "land-grabbing" scheme and said his party will start a protest against the Bhagwant Mann dispensation from September 1 in Mohali till the policy is withdrawn. The Shiromani Akali Dal chief said his party will not allow the acquisition of even one inch of land by the state government under the land pooling scheme. Badal alleged that AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal had done an "underhand deal" with Delhi builders to "hand over" farmers' land to them.