The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stopped all activity on 469 acres of land in Rajpura, Patiala. This Punjab land acquisition dispute started in 1993 when the state signed an MoU with M/s Shriram Industrial Enterprises Limited (SIEL Ltd). The state agreed to acquire 1,000 acres for industrial growth.
Petitioners said the state handed over nearly 600 acres to SIEL, but the company used only 40 acres for a chemical plant. Most of the land stayed unused for 30 years. Recently, SIEL sold 469 acres for more than ₹117 crore. Petitioners argued that this sale was against the purpose of acquisition.
They told the court that the land was meant to create jobs and improve Punjab’s economy, not to be sold. The court ordered that no construction, transfer, or sale should take place on the 469 acres. The next hearing will take place on December 2.
This case shows how land taken for development often ends up in long legal fights in Punjab.
