GMADA gets nod to acquire 1,000 acres

The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority has got the district administration8217;s nod to acquire almost 1,000 acres of additional land for road connectivity to the upcoming international airport and commercial exploitation in the proposed mixed land use zone along the roads.

The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority GMADA has got the district administration8217;s nod to acquire almost 1,000 acres of additional land for road connectivity to the upcoming international airport and commercial exploitation in the proposed mixed land use zone along the roads.

The commercial exploitation will enable GMADA to bear the costs of land acquisition, construction and other requisite infrastructure in and around the airport terminal.

The Deputy Commissioner has issued a no-objection certificate to the GMADA, which has now moved the State-Level Land Acquisition Board SLLAB for the final nod before issuing a notification under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act. The 1,000 acres would be in addition to almost 306 acres already acquired in Jheourheri village for the airport terminal, GMADA Chief Administrator Vivek Partap Singh told Newsline.

The SLLAB, headed by the Financial Commissioner, Revenue, will take up GMADA8217;s case at its next meeting expected shortly.

In view of the record compensation award of Rs 1.5 crore per acre, which has already been paid to 222 owners of the land acquired for the airport, GMADA will require almost Rs 1,500 crore for the future land acquisition.

Since a major part of the acquired land would be used for building road network, the Land Pooling Scheme, which was implemented last month for making landowners partners in the land developed after acquisition, would be adopted in this acquisition, confirmed Singh. He added that cash compensation would be offered to the landowners as per the rate fixed by the District Land Price Fixation Committee.

The additional land will be acquired to provide connectivity to the airport from Sector 20, Panchkula, through Zirakpur and also from Mohali as per the alignments approved recently by the GMADA Executive Committee, headed by Punjab Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh.

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Besides a six-lane road from Chandigarh to the airport, another approach road has been planned from Chhat village on the Patiala-Zirakpur highway.

The Chief Secretary has asked the public works department to take up the matter with the National Highway Authority of India to construct arms of the upcoming flyover at Zirakpur towards the Patiala highway, which would provide a smooth passage to the airport traffic coming from Shimla and Ambala.