Mohali, Sept. 11 -- The long-pending development of Mohali's Sector 90 is inching closer to reality, with the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) agreeing to swap 23 acres of protected forest land in Mohali with its land in Ludhiana's Mattewara village. The land swap will allow the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to use of the protected forest land in Mohali's Sector 90 for non-forest purpose. In exchange, the land in Mattewara village will be developed as a forest. To develop Sector 90, GMADA had acquired 229 acres in 2015 near Lakhnaur village under Punjab government's land pooling scheme. However, the authority failed to obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the forest department for six years. It later learnt that around 23 acres of the acquired land fell under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900, making it ineligible for development without environmental clearance and leaving around 700 allottees in the lurch. In May this year, the Punjab government approved to swap 23 acres of forest land in Sector 90 with land in Mattewara village, Ludhiana. A senior GMADA official involved in the project said, "We have secured approval from GLADA for swapping the 23 acres of restricted land. Our engineering department has forwarded the proposal to the forest department, which will in turn seek clearance from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change. Once we receive the ministry's approval, we expect work to begin within two months." He added that layout plans have already been prepared and will be sent to the planning and development department for final approval. Meanwhile, allottees who had earlier received letters of intent (LoIs) for plots in Sector 90 continue to wait for possession. At the time of acquisition, GMADA officials had been unaware that part of the land was protected under PLPA. Even the revenue department had no record of the restriction, which came to light later. The Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), enacted in 1900, aims to conserve subsoil water and prevent erosion in ecologically sensitive areas. Under the land pooling scheme, farmers had been offered residential and commercial sites in exchange for their land. As per Greater Mohali Area Development Authority's development plan, 144 acres were to be developed in the first phase. Residential plots ranging from 100 to 500 square yards are proposed on 29 acres, commercial sites on 14 acres, and institutional projects on 11 acres. Parks are planned over eight acres, two acres are earmarked for waterworks, and 28 acres will be developed for roads. Jasbir Singh, an allottee said, "It has been almost 10 years now and we are still waiting for possession. We urge the authorities to expedite the land swap so that development work can start."...