January 6, 2010 2:28:33 am
The ongoing acquisition of land measuring over 1,500 acres for various development projects in Greater Mohali area has met with a stiff opposition from landowners.
Whether it is the land acquisition for the garbage dumping ground,connectivity to upcoming international airport,mixed land use or the Mullanpur Urban Estate,the villagers are up in arms against what they call as their displacement at a meagre compensation.
Though the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is offering farmers the option of land pooling in major projects but they are still apprehensive. The highest-ever land compensation of Rs 1.5 crore per acre has also failed to attract the landowners,whose demands have shot up to as high as Rs 10 crore per acre.
The most recent protest was against GMADAs most ambitious projects the Mullanpur Urban Estate for which proceedings are underway to acquire 447.34 acres of land in Devinagar,Mullanpur,Bharonjia,Ferozepur and Ratwara villages in the Chandigarh periphery.
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For the sake of housing new population,why are we being displaced, asked president of Mullanpur Urban Estate Virodhi Sangharsh Committee,Naib Singh. Committee general secretary Nirmail Singh said the villagers will not accept anything less than Rs 10 crore per acre for their land.
Protest have also been held against the acquisition notice for 269.52 acres of land in Ballomajra,Baliali,Desumajra and Fatehullapur villages for construction of a 200-ft-wide road to connect the upcoming international airport and mixed land use along Mohali-Kharar stretch of National Highway-21.
Irate landowners have asserted that they would allow acquisition of land at current market price only for the construction of road and not for commercial exploitation under mixed land use category.
On the other hand,the GMADA officials argued that land acquisition for commercial exploitation was necessary to bear the heavy expenditure for road construction and paying compensation for land.
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