Mohali, Oct. 15 -- Even though the state government approved the compensation for acquisition of land for the long-pending Eco City-3 project a week ago, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) has yet to announce it, further delaying the project. The state government has approved the award for acquisition, signifying the completion of the land acquisition process. Once the award is announced, the ownership of the acquired land officially transfers to the government, and no sale or registration in the name of private individuals is permitted. GMADA has acquired around 750 acres of land in New Chandigarh to develop residential, commercial and institutional properties under the project. When questioned about the delay, a senior GMADA officer said, "The file is held up with some senior officials. Once launched, the project is expected to generate revenue of around Rs.2,000 crore." The project was proposed in 2016, but in July 2020, GMADA was forced to scrap the acquisition process owing to shortage of funds, and poor response to its land pooling scheme. Only 118 of 450 landowners had come forward at the time. The acquisition process was revived in August 2022. Under the project, residential, commercial and institutional properties will be developed on 750 acres of land spread across six villages - Rajgarh, Takipur, Kartarpur, Kansala, Hoshiarpur and one adjoining settlement. The land has been acquired under the Land Pooling Policy of 2021, which offers landowners 1,000 square yards of developed residential plots and 200 square yards of commercial plots (excluding parking) per acre in lieu of monetary compensation. Avtar Singh Walia, vice-president of the Prime Residents' Welfare Society, Eco City-2, alleged that GMADA officials were deliberately delaying the announcement of the award after an already nine-year delay. After the project was deferred in 2020, several private developers reportedly bought about 150 acres in the area, prompting GMADA to take preventive measures. The then additional chief secretary, Housing and Urban Development Department, Sarvjit Singh, had ordered that no change-of-land-use (CLU) certificate or licence be issued to any private builder in the Eco City-3 or Medicity areas. The government is also in the process of acquiring 3,553 acres for the Aerotropolis project, located near the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport on both sides of the Zirakpur-Banur road. It will also include residential, commercial and institutional plots....