CM’s bounty puts Rs 30 crore burden on GMADA

Rising from the long slumber ahead of the tercentenary of the Sirhind battle falling in May 2010,the state government has now decided to pay a befitting tribute to the iconic-nationalist Sikh hero,who fought and won the battle of Sirhind to not only bring to an end the decadent Mughal rule,but also established a brief but important four-year Sikh rule in Punjab,by preserving the battlefield site as Sikh heritage.

The Sikhs for the first time had become rulers of the land of five rivers.

However,this decision has not gone down well with GMADA,which was entrusted to bear the land acquisition cost.

GMADA officials,who did not wished to be named,said the authority had no extra funds to pay such a huge amount for the project,which would in turn give no returns. “Already under debt for bearing massive land acquisition awards running into several thousand crores of rupees for the upcoming international airport and now acquiring 450 acres more for the Mullanpur urban estate,GMADA would be in no position to pay another Rs 30 crore required for memorial,” they argued.

Moreover,of the total 20 acres identified for acquisition,over 13 acres fall under the ownership of a cooperative house building society,which represent the 1984 riot victims as its members.

With a majority of land identified as a historic battlefield site falling under the limits of the society,which owns close to 100 acres of land,the mounds and other signs of battlefield had already vanished after being levelled during the development of the society.

Already aggrieved over denial of Change of Land Use (CLU) by GMADA,the society members are now up in arms against the proposed acquisition of their area,which they have decided not to leave at any cost.

“We were already mired in several official hiccups since allotment of plots in 1987 and now when we were expecting to build our own homes,the state government has fired another salvo at us,” complained the society members,while adding that the acquisition of part of society land would disturb the entire allotment of plots and it would not be possible to compensate the members,whose plots fall in the area proposed for acquisition.