Mohali, Dec. 25 -- The Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) on Wednesday announced the award of land compensation for land acquired from nine villages in Mohali for its ambitious Eco-City 3 project in New Chandigarh, marking a crucial step towards the implementation of the long-pending development plan. GMADA has acquired around 717 acres of land for the project, which will be used for the development of residential, commercial and institutional properties in New Chandigarh. The land has been acquired from nine villages - Hoshiyarpur, Rasulpur, Takipur, Dhode Majra, Majra, Salamatpur, Kansala, Rajgarh and Kartarpur. As per the award announced by the authority, compensation rates vary across villages. Landowners in Rasulpur will be offered around Rs.5.91 crore per acre, while the rate in Salamatpur has been fixed at approximately Rs.6.46 crore per acre. In Dhode Majra, compensation has been pegged at Rs.6.4 crore per acre, while landowners in Takipur will receive around Rs.4.99 crore per acre. The compensation rate for Rajgarh and Majra stands at Rs.4.27 crore per acre each. In Kartarpur, GMADA will offer Rs.5.43 crore per acre, while landowners in Kansala will receive Rs.5.46 crore per acre. The rate for Hoshiyarpur has been fixed at Rs.4.98 crore per acre. In total, GMADA estimates that it will award compensation amounting to around Rs.3,690 crore for the entire 717 acres of land acquired under the project. However, monetary compensation is not the only option available to landowners. The land has been acquired under the Land Pooling Policy of 2021, which allows farmers and landowners to opt for developed plots instead of a one-time cash payout. Under this policy, landowners are entitled to 1,000 square yards of developed residential plots and 200 square yards of commercial plots (excluding parking) per acre of land surrendered, in lieu of monetary compensation. In addition, with the Punjab government's recent land pooling scheme, the notification for which was issued on November 21, 2025, landowners opting for pooling can also receive 1,600 square yards of developed residential plots per acre in lieu of monetary compensation. With the announcement of the award, the ownership of the acquired land has officially transferred to the government, and no sale, purchase or registration of the land in the name of private individuals will now be permitted, officials said. The move brings the land acquisition process close to completion and clears the way for the next phase of development. A senior GMADA official said that despite the announcement of monetary compensation,a majority of landowners were expected to opt for landpooling. "Though monetary compensation has been announced, most of the landowners opt for the land pooling scheme instead of a one-time benefit. The landowners will now be given time to submit their applications for the final call," the official added. Greater Mohali Area Development Authority chief administrator Sakshi Sawhney said that the land acquisition process is now nearing completion, after which tenders will be floated to carry out developmental works in the area in early 2026. The development authority aims to formally launch the Eco-City 3 scheme later in 2026. Landowners are entitled to 1,000 square yards of developed residential plots and 200 square yards of commercial plots (excluding parking) per acre of land surrendered, in lieu of monetary compensation. As per new land pooling scheme, landowners opting for pooling can also receive 1,600 square yards of developed residential plots per acre in lieu of monetary compensation. The Eco-City 3 project was originally proposed in 2016 as a major extension of planned urban development in New Chandigarh. However, in July 2020, The development authority was forced to scrap the acquisition process due to a shortage of funds and a poor response to its land pooling scheme at the time. The acquisition process was later revived in August 2022....