Punjab Government Withdraws Controversial Land Pooling Policy

Chandigarh: The Punjab government has withdrawn the controversial land pooling policy.

The state's Principal Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Department stated the Punjab Land Policy and its related amendments brought on May 14, 2025 are being withdrawn. The Letter of Intent (LOI), registration and any other work issued under this policy are withdrawn.

The farmers of Punjab had been opposing this policy. They had been alleging that the state government wants to grab their land through the policy. This matter had also reached the High Court which a few days ago had imposed a four-week stay in the matter and adjourned it for hearing on September 10.

Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring wrote on X, "When governments forget the people, the people remind them where the real power lies. This is a victory for Punjab and Punjabis — a victory for the people's fight against the land pooling scam. Punjab will never bow down to the anti-people policies of AAP".

Congress MLA Pargat Singh wrote on X, "The anti-farmer land pooling policy has been officially scrapped! This is a victory for the farmers and people of Punjab over the land grabbing agenda of AAP. From day one, we stood shoulder to shoulder with the farmers against this betrayal - today, their unity has forced the government to bow down."

Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote, "I salute the brave Akali workers, farmers, labourers and shopkeepers who united and forced Arvind Kejriwal to withdraw the land pooling scheme, which was actually a land grabbing scheme through which the Aam Aadmi Party tried to collect Rs 30,000 crore from the builders of Delhi to expand the party across the country."

Badal further wrote, "I want to assure Punjabis that just as we have forced the Aam Aadmi Party to withdraw the land pooling scheme by leading a grassroots movement in which lakhs of people participated, we will hold the corrupt and scam-ridden AAP Punjab government accountable for bankrupting Punjab, giving jobs to outsiders, destroying law and order and encouraging gangsters. I appeal to Punjabis to unite under the Shiromani Akali Dal so that Punjab can be brought back on track and a better future can be ensured for our future generations."

The Land Pooling Policy in Punjab was first implemented in 2011 during the tenure of the Akali government. After this, the government of Captain Amarinder Singh and then the current Mann government made changes to it and took it forward.

In June 2025, the Punjab Cabinet approved the new version of this policy. Under this policy, industrial, commercial and residential areas were to be developed by acquiring land in different areas of the state. Instead of compensation amount, landowners were to be given commercial and residential plots in the same area in proportion to their land.

The government's policy was to pool 24,000 acres of land in Ludhiana, 2,535 acres in Mohali, 4,464 acres in Amritsar, 1,000 acres each in Pathankot and Jalandhar, 1,150 acres in Patiala, 848 acres in Bathinda, 568 acres in Sangrur, 542 acres in Moga, 338 acres in Nawanshahr, 313 acres in Ferozepur, 317 acres in Barnala, 550 acres in Hoshiarpur, 150 acres in Kapurthala, 160 acres in Batala, 200 acres in Phagwara, 97 acres in Tarn Taran, 70 acres in Sultanpur Lodhi, 20 acres in Nakodar and about 80 acres in Gurdaspur.

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