Punjab government withdraws land pooling policy after High Court stay, public opposition

The High Court had given the government four weeks to rectify the shortcomings in the scheme, but the decision to withdraw the policy was made before the deadline.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had earlier stayed the land pooling policy, citing several shortcomings and irregularities in its implementation. The court had also highlighted the lack of transparency and consultation with stakeholders, leading to widespread public outcry.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has spelt out why it stayed the Punjab government's Land Pooling Policy, 2025, in its order passed on August 7.

The Bench of Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Deepak Manchanda listed a series of legal and procedural shortcomings -- from the absence of environmental and social impact studies to the lack of timelines, grievance redressal and budgetary clarity.

It is worth mentioning that even today, the land pooling scheme is opposed by farmers. The court had said in its order that the policy lacks mandatory social and environmental impact assessment, there is no provision for resettlement of landless workers and other affected sections, no grievance redressal mechanism has been created, and no time frame or budget has been clarified.

In the past few weeks, tractor marches, door-to-door campaigns and demonstrations were held by farmers' unions, opposition parties and local people in protest against the policy.

Opponents claimed that the scheme was an attempt at "land grabbing" that would have a serious impact on agriculture and the lives of farmers. In the face of public opposition and legal challenges, the government has finally announced the withdrawal of this decision.

This move is also being considered a major setback politically. The Punjab government has brought in a "land pooling" policy for planned urbanisation. Under this scheme, about 40,000 acres of cultivable land are planned to be acquired for 27 cities across Punjab.

The Punjab government plans to develop residential areas on the acquired land, known as urban estates. However, farmer organisations claim that this policy is a conspiracy to dispossess them of their fertile lands and promote real estate projects. (ANI)