Chandigarh, 8 August (Harbans Singh)
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, today strongly criticized the substantial rise in collector rates of land across the state of Punjab, calling it a direct consequence of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s reckless expenditure and financial mismanagement.
In recent developments, the collector rates have witnessed an unprecedented surge, particularly in Patiala district, where the rate for agricultural land in Lehal has skyrocketed from Rs 70 lakh to Rs 1.50 crore per acre, an alarming increase of over 100 percent. Similarly, in Dhaliwal Colony (Patiala), the rate has doubled from Rs 56,680 per square yard to Rs 1.12 lakh per square yard. In Khedi Gujran, the collector rate of residential property has surged almost fivefold, from Rs 3,445 per square yard to Rs 22,750 per square yard.
Commenting on this drastic increase, Raja Warring stated, “The unprecedented rise in collector rates across Punjab is nothing but a desperate attempt by the AAP government to generate revenue in the wake of their irresponsible spending on advertisements, election campaigns in other states, and the rebranding of government schools and hospitals under the ‘Aam Aadmi’ tag. This is not a measure for the betterment of Punjab; it is a ploy to use the hard-earned money of Punjabis to fund their own political ambitions.”
Revenue officials have revealed that the Budget has set a target of increasing revenue from property registration by Rs 1,500 crore this year, aiming to reach a total of Rs 6,000 crore by March 2025. This is a stark contrast to the traditional annual increase of 5-10 percent in stamp duty and registration charges. “Such an exorbitant hike is unjustified and reflects the government’s disregard for the struggles of the common man. Such a huge increase in collector rate will also lead to an increase in registry rates as well, thus resulting in extra burden on the pockets of people for the same property. Instead of focusing on the welfare of the people, the AAP government is exploiting Punjab to fill their coffers for election campaigns in other states like they did during elections in Goa,” Warring added.
The PPCC Chief also pointed out that this is not the first time the AAP government has worked against the interests of Punjab. “During the farmers’ protests, the government failed to support our farmers in their rightful struggle. Now, they are allowing the education and healthcare sectors to deteriorate, sectors that flourished under Congress rule. The people of Punjab deserve better, but under the AAP, they continue to face one setback after another. It is every man’s dream to have a house of their own, but this government wants to steal this dream from Punjabi’s as well,” he said.
In conclusion, Warring remarked, “The AAP government’s actions are a betrayal of the trust of the people of Punjab. They have consistently prioritized their party’s gains over the welfare of the state. We, the Congress, stand firmly with the people of Punjab and will continue to oppose these anti-people policies. It’s time for a government that truly cares about the future of Punjab and not just their electoral ambitions. With the rising amount of debt taken by the AAP government in Punjab, we were certain that our future generations would have to bear the brunt of the same, but such measures have already been implemented and our current generations have started suffering already.”
