Faced with protests over the recently introduced land pooling policy of the Aam Aadmi Party government, former Delhi minister and state party co-incharge Satyendar Jain asked AAP MLAs to go among the public and educate land owners about the policy to quell criticism. Jain huddled with MLAs from the Assembly segments where land has been identified for pooling. AAP state president Aman Arora, Punjab Housing Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian, Cabinet minister Sanjeev Arora and party spokespersons were also present at the meeting.
Sources privy to the meeting said that Jain asked everyone to seek answers to their questions and doubts about the policy. “We had questions. We raised those. We were told in detail. Now, our task is cut. We have to go to the people and educate them about the features of the policy. We have to tell them that once they offer us land, the residential and commercial plots will be returned to them as part of the policy that would fetch them a fat price,” a party leader said.
Party sources said Jain is overseeing the Punjab housing department and has actively helped in formulating the land pooling policy. The government has identified over 40,000 acres in 27 towns and cities, with 30,000 acres identified in Ludhiana, Mohali and Amritsar alone. The land will be acquired after the owners offer their land voluntarily.
“He told us to go and tell people that the acquisition would be voluntary. Nobody will use force. It is for their good. They will earn money, and people will get houses in legal colonies,” said another leader.
Earlier, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann told the media that the land pooling would be 100 per cent voluntary. “It will help people get houses in legal colonies and help check the mushrooming illegal colonies. My house in Sangrur is in an illegal colony. You check your houses also,” Mann said.
Mann had taken time to sign a file on the acquisition of land in Mohali. Later, Mann was replaced as the chairperson of various urban bodies across the state and Chief Secretary KAP Sinha was assigned the charges.
