Punjab Government Withdraws Land Pooling Policy After Flak From Farmer Bodies, Opposition

Amid stiff opposition from rival political parties and farmer bodies, the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab withdrew its land pooling policy on Monday, along with all subsequent amendments.

The decision came after the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a few days ago, ordered an interim stay on its implementation for four weeks.

The now-scrapped policy proposed to acquire thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land across the state for development purposes, without conducting any Social Impact Assessment (SIA) or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies, triggering widespread concern and resistance, news agency PTI reported.