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GMADA notifies acquisition of 3,553 acres amid farmers’ hunger strike in Mohali
Land from 8 villages earmarked for Aerotropolis expansion; farmers intensify protest, question timing of notification
The acquisition is being carried out under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Even as farmers continue their indefinite hunger strike outside the GMADA (Greater Mohali Area Development Authority) office in protest against land acquisition, the authority has issued a notification to acquire around 3,553 acres for the Aerotropolis expansion project. The decision, announced on a public holiday on Thursday, has sparked strong resentment among the affected farmers, who see it as a move that undermines their ongoing agitation.
According to the notification issued by Vikas Garg, principal secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Punjab, land from eight villages Syao, Kurdi, Matran, Badi, Kishanpura, Patton, Bakarpur and Chhatt will be acquired for the development of Aerotropolis Pocket E to J blocks. The acquisition is being carried out under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The government stated that a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the project had already been conducted by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.
The notification further mentions that a Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) plan, approved on March 6, has been put in place for affected families. Under this plan, families will have the option of receiving a one-time compensation of Rs 5 lakh or opting for an annuity, while those whose livelihoods are impacted will be given a rehabilitation grant of Rs 50,000. The government has also invited objections and compensation claims from affected parties within 30 days of the notification. It has been clarified that houses located along the village ‘phirni’ will be excluded from acquisition, while residential structures built in agricultural fields will be compensated with plots in developed sectors. Provisions have also been included to compensate labourers for loss of livelihood in accordance with legal norms.
As per the land breakup, around 406 acres will be acquired from Syao, 1,397 acres from Kurdi, 60 acres from Matran, 385 acres from Badi, 417 acres from Patton, 52 acres from Bakarpur, 765 acres from Kishanpura (Zirakpur) and 77 acres from Chhatt (Zirakpur), which together will form the six blocks of the Aerotropolis expansion.
Meanwhile, farmers sitting on hunger strike outside the GMADA office have announced that they will intensify their protest and have begun strategising their next course of action.
“Issuing the notification for acquiring 3,553 acres while we are peacefully sitting on a hunger strike shows that the government is ignoring our struggle,” the farmers said in a statement.
Questioning the timing of the move, the farmers added that “announcing this decision on a holiday raises serious questions about the government’s intentions”. Reiterating their stand, the farmers asserted, “We will not give up our land at any cost and will continue our struggle until our demands are met.”
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