Chandigarh, Aug. 7 -- The high court on Wednesday asked the Punjab government whether it had carried out the social and environmental impact assessment before notifying the land-pooling policy or not.

The court also asked the state government to spell out whether the policy --- that has raised the hackles of Opposition leaders and farmers --- had provisions for rehabilitation of landless labourers and others.

These questions were raised by the bench of justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and justice Deepak Manchanda, while the state's advocate general Maninderjit Singh gave an undertaking that the policy would be kept on hold and no further steps would be taken till the next date of hearing. The matter will be taken up again on Thursday.

Th...