BJP's Sunil Jakhar says AAP removed key clause of land acquisition law, SAD asks about money for policy

Chandigarh: Reacting to the Punjab cabinet approving a new land pooling policy on Monday, opposition parties Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiromani Akali Dal criticised the incumbent AAP govt, with the BJP calling it a "bait" to "bleed Punjab" and SAD terming it a "scheme of corruption.
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Hitting out at AAP, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said, "I believe Punjab was used as an ATM from where they took out money. Now the central leaders of AAP from Delhi plan to use Punjab as a private bank."
On provisions in the policy as announced by the govt that farmers will get back a part of the land which they can use for developing group housing projects, Jakhar said, "This is a bait. The intent is clear, and they want to bleed Punjab of its money by treating it as a milch cow.
Punjab needs to be saved from this."
Jakhar said AAP govt "removed" a key clause of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, 2013, which otherwise could act as a "safety valve" to safeguard farmers' interests. The LARR Act, 2013, requires that the consent of 80% of landowners be obtained for private projects and that the consent of 70% of landowners be obtained for public-private partnership (PPP) projects.
The govt proposed to exempt five special categories that were created, namely defence, rural infrastructure, affordable housing, industrial corridors, and infrastructure projects, including PPP projects where the govt owns the land.
SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said govt will take possession of farmers' land, but there is no guarantee as to when it could be developed. "It took several years for Ludhiana to expand beyond Punjab Agricultural University (PAU).
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And the govt plans to acquire 25,000 acres. There will be no habitation in such a vast area for years. From where will this much population come to live in such a huge area? If acquired, farmers will lose their livelihood.
Not only farmers, but those in allied agriculture activities, those dealing in agri implements and fertilisers, for instance, would also get hit. It will also directly or indirectly impact landless labourers and the dalit community," he added.
Cheema asked the govt where was the money to develop the land it proposed to acquire. "If Rs 1 crore would be required to develop an acre of land, from where will Rs 25,000 crore come for developing 25,000 acres of land? AAP promises like giving Rs 1,000 per month to women remain unfulfilled. The Centre even cut the borrowing limit of the state to take loans. This scheme was, practically, rolled out for corruption. This is aimed at enabling the middlemen from Delhi to make money.
Otherwise, there is no justification for it," he said.

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