MOHALI: Landowners from Mohali’s Sector 101, where an industrial estate has come up, have alleged that they have not been paid compensation for the land acquired by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (Gmada).
They have now threatened that if the authority does not take any concrete action in this regard till January 31, then they would stage a major protest outside the Gmada Bhawan.
While talking to TOI, aggrieved landowners Sukhdeep Singh, Gurinder Singh, Manjit Singh, Darbara Singh and former sarpanch Sukhdeep Singh said that Gmada had acquired the land in Durali and adjoining villages to establish the industrial area in 2021.
Sukhdeep alleged that Gmada had acquired the land under land-pooling system, offering a residential as well as a commercial plot to them.
“We have been circling the Gmada office in hope that they might fulfil their offer, but till date no progress has been made in the project and our land is also under their occupation. We have lost the appreciation of the land as well as residential and commercial plots to be allotted under the land-pooling scheme,” he claimed.
Darbara said, “Gmada and Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority are directly under Punjab chief minister’s portfolio, but the authority still failed to extend the compensation to the landowners for almost two years now.”
The landowners also claimed that earlier, Gmada had always paid the compensation within four to five months of the land acquisition.
‘Not allowed to speak on the issue’
“But this time, Gmada has taken just too long and not even shared reasons behind the delay,” they added.
Gurinder and Manjit alleged that last week, Gmada had held a public grievance meeting at its office where some of the aggrieved landowners attempted to raise their voices, which were suppressed by the security personnel and officers.
They claimed that they were not allowed to speak on the issue and asked to leave the premises.
Gmada chief administrator Rajiv Gupta, meanwhile, said that he had no comments to make as the entire project was being looked after by the land acquisition collector.
However, the land acquisition collector did not respond to the phone calls made to elicit comments on the issue.
