Mohali, Oct. 16 -- In some respite for over 30,000 residents of Mohali's Sectors 76 to 80, the executive committee of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) on Wednesday approved a reduction of Rs.839 per square metre in the contentious enhancement charges. Enhancement charges are the additional compensation paid by GMADA to landowners for acquired land, which is later recovered from allottees of plots developed on the same land. The GMADA executive committee, under the chairmanship of Punjab chief secretary KAP Sinha, on Wednesday decided to slash the current enhancement rate from Rs.3,164 per square metre to Rs.2,325. A senior officer of GMADA confirmed that the amount had been slashed by Rs.839 per square metre and residents now can pay the remaining amount. In a meeting held in July, the chief secretary had asked GMADA officers to study enhancement charge formulae used by the Noida Housing Authority and Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran, but officers found that approaches vary from case to case. Based on their review, officers again proposed a reduction of Rs.839 per square metre. While hailing the decision, Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh said the reduction was the result of several rounds of discussions held with GMADA and the state government: "It is a big victory and relief for nearly 30,000 people of the said sectors." In 2013, the enhancement cost stood between Rs.700 and Rs.850 per square metre, depending on plot size - nearly three to four times lower than today's figure. The steep escalation to Rs.3,164 per square metre in a little over a decade is largely attributed to accumulating interest due to administrative delays on GMADA's part. The origin of the row dates back to 2013, when the Supreme Court directed GMADA to pay Rs.300 crore as enhanced compensation to landowners for land acquired in Sectors 76 to 80. Although allottees had signed undertakings through allotment letters agreeing to bear these charges, GMADA failed to issue recovery notices for over 10 years. A 2022 audit report flagged this lapse, pointing out that enhancement charges had been accruing interest since 2013. GMADA eventually started issuing recovery notices in May 2023, even warning of cancellation of allotments for non-payment. Due to the prolonged delay, interest alone has swelled to Rs.288 crore, taking the total liability for allottees close to Rs.600 crore - a massive financial burden on residents that continues to spark protests. Welcoming the cut in enhancement charge, Sucha Singh Kalaur, president, Sector 76-80 Plot Allotment Welfare Committee, said their fight against the interest burden passed on to allottees will still continue. The matter remains sub-judice in the Punjab and Haryana high court. In its petition, the committee has demanded a complete waiver of the interest....