Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Cheema has defended the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s new land pooling policy, calling it completely farmer-friendly and based on mutual agreement.
Cheema said no land would be taken by force. It would be the farmer’s choice whether to give land or not. He explained that this new scheme aims to solve problems created by past governments.
He accused the Congress, BJP, and Akali Dal of allowing illegal colonies to be built in the past 15 years. Around 30,000 acres of land in Punjab were taken over by land mafias and builders, with help from some ministers and MLAs, he said. These illegal colonies had no proper roads, electricity, water, or sewerage, and common people suffered as a result.
To fix this, the AAP government decided to bring in the land pooling policy. Under this policy, farmers who give their land will get 1000 square yards of residential land and 200 square yards of commercial land for every acre. Cheema claimed this land will be worth four times more in the coming years, benefiting both farmers and the general public.
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