Chandigarh farmers’ hopes revived as Kataria endorses land pooling model

Less than three months after the union Government clarified that no land pooling policy was being formulated or considered for 22 peripheral villages in Chandigarh, UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria has announced his intent to pursue the policy.

In a recent Municipal Corporation’s General House meeting, the Administrator said that those preferring developed land would be allotted the same under the land pooling policy, adding that if this does not materialise, farmers would be offered compensation so substantial that they would not be able to refuse.

This announcement has renewed the hopes of landowners who have long been demanding a land pooling policy on the lines of Punjab and Haryana.

A few councillors raised the issue of the land pooling policy on December 30, when the UT Administrator was chairing the corporation meeting. After listening to their demand, Kataria stated: “I also agree with your suggestion on land pooling,” which led to thumping of tables by the councillors. However, the UT Administrator cautioned: “There are obstacles too. For instance, the owner may be someone else while another person is in possession of the land. How would we get it vacated for the policy even if the owner is ready to give it?”

Kataria remarked: “This issue has its own complications, and it remains to be seen how and to what extent we can implement the land pooling policy.”

According to Kataria: “Those who want developed land under the land pooling scheme will be given the same. We will certainly try to make it happen.” He added: “Even if the policy does not materialise, we will offer compensation so adequate that it cannot be refused. It will suitably compensate them.”

Talking to The Indian Express on Friday, Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla said they are now hopeful that the policy will be implemented. “This is the collective demand of everyone here. I have already raised this issue before the UT Advisory Council, and I have also met the Governor two to three times in this regard.”

Nominated councillor and Chandigarh Pendu Vikas Manch president Satinder Pal Singh Sidhu said: “A robust land pooling policy is the only solution to ensure proper development on Chandigarh’s periphery and to end the trend of illegal plotting and construction. If the Administration implements such a policy, landowners will willingly hand over their land for development because they will receive developed plots in return rather than just monetary compensation. The Administration should therefore implement the policy in line with its Master Plan for 2031.”

Sidhu recalled that the last land acquisition took place in 2016 for the construction of a road, when land was taken from farmers of Dhanas and Dadumajra. “In the absence of a land pooling policy, land could not be acquired in all these years. In 2024 too, most farmers from Chandigarh villages refused to give land for the Airport Road, demanding a land pooling policy instead,” he added.

Advocates of the policy argue that land pooling ensures equitable development, minimises forced displacement, and reduces prolonged litigation over compensation. Critics, however, caution that without safeguards, the model could benefit developers more than original landowners.

Land pooling is a development model in which landowners surrender their agricultural plots to the government for infrastructure and urban expansion. Instead of cash compensation, they receive a portion of the reconstituted and developed land after roads, utilities, and public spaces are laid out. Punjab and Haryana have implemented variations of this model, allowing farmers to retain ownership rights, receive serviced plots in return, and benefit from the rise in property value once the area is developed.

In August this year, in a written reply to Congress MP Manish Tewari’s question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai had stated that the Chandigarh Administration had informed: “No land pooling policy has been formulated by them, nor is such a policy under consideration.”