‘Nothing short of betrayal’: Mohali residents to agitate against GMADA over enhancement charges
Residents claim that GMDA is not honouring the Punjab government's announcement in June to reduce charges by Rs 839 per square yard.
2 min read
GMADA was ordered by the Supreme Court in 2013 to pay Rs 300 crore to the landowners and subsequently recover this amount from the plot allottees. (File)Residents of Mohali’s Sectors 76 to 80 have accused the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) of betrayal over enhancement charges, vowing to intensify their struggle. They allege that GMADA has failed to explain how the Rs 2,645 per square yard figure was calculated, allegedly defying earlier directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Enhancement charges are the extra compensation paid to landowners for the land that has been acquired. In this instance, GMADA was ordered by the Supreme Court in 2013 to pay Rs 300 crore to the landowners and subsequently recover this amount from the plot allottees.
The tipping point came with GMADA’s August 20 letter to a 300-square-yard allottee. The communication stated, “No orders regarding any change in additional price have been received… At present, the allottee is bound to pay as per the allotment letter of December 28, 2007, and additional price notice of August 9, 2023.”
This contradicted the Punjab government’s June announcement of reducing charges from Rs 3,164 to Rs 2,325 per square yard: a cut of Rs 839 per square yard. That concession was widely publicised, with MLA Kulwant Singh urging allottees to deposit dues quickly.
With the residents feeling cheated, one of the allottees said, “The government raised our hopes but has burdened us more. This is nothing short of betrayal.”
Another questioned,“When our MLA himself declared the concession, why has the chief secretary neither confirmed nor denied it?”
Sources revealed that GMADA’s chief administrator had sought approval from the Punjab chief secretary, who instead asked for a “comparative analysis with Haryana and Noida models”, stalling the decision.
With families already reeling under home loans, inflation, and rising bills, residents say paying at the old rate is “impossible”. They announced a mass agitation outside the GMADA offices on September 24.
A senior GMADA official said, “The charges will definitely be reduced, but when and by how much cannot be said yet.”
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