GMADA allottees protest enhancement cost notices

Mohali, July 7

Members of the Sector 76-80 Plot Allotment and Development Welfare Committee and residents of various other sectors today staged a protest outside the GMADA office in Sector 62 against the land enhancement cost. As many as 1,000 allottees have received notices from the development authority till now.

Mayor Amarjit Singh Sidhu and Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi slammed the GMADA decision to impose hefty land enhancement cost on 5,000 allottees.

The protesters said charging Rs 3,164 per square metre as additional cost from the allottees/transferees of Sectors 76 to 80 could never be justified. This would translate into over Rs 6 lakh for plots measuring 8 marla and nearly Rs 4 lakh for 6 marla plots, they alleged.

Enhancement is the increase in compensation paid to a farmer/landowner for the acquisition of their land, which is decided by a court in case they are not satisfied with the price being offered by the government or its development agency.

The allottees said compensation disputes if any were between GMADA and the farmers/landowners. They asked why were allottees being penalised for none of their fault?

Committee president Sucha Singh Kalod and others burnt copies of the notices outside the GMADA office and raised slogans against the state government.

“If GMADA has to pay money to the farmers, it can pay by selling commercial properties in these sectors. There is no need to burden people for this,” said Bedi.

A GMADA official addressed the gathering and stated that the authority was deliberating on the issue and would take a decision shortly.

Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh reassured the allottees that the issue would be resolved soon.