Punjab not to provide land for Reliance Retail

After receiving the setback in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, where the state governments have banned the Reliance Retail outlets after attacks by small retailers, the retail chain is to get another jolt in Punjab as the state government has declined to give land to the company at Goindwal Sahib, as promised by the previous regime.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said the state government would not facilitate acquisition of land for Reliance's farm-to-work project and the company would have to purchase land from the farmers on its own.

Badal's remarks confirmed the rumours that the government was planning to withdraw the decision of allotting land to Reliance Industries' multi-crore 'Farm to Fork' agri initiative in the state. It was likely to roll back the decision of providing over 163 acres of land to the company in Govindwal Sahib near Amritsar.

The former Congress government had decided to allot land to Reliance industries at various places including Goindwal Sahib, a decision stoutly opposed by the opposition.

The MLAs of the opposition, including senior Akali leader Capt Kawaljit Singh, had even filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana high court challenging the Reliance's agreement with the government.

Sources said instead of giving land to Reliance, the state government was planning to set up a special economic zone (SEZ) in Govindwal Sahib. They claimed the move would, however, require the nod of the council of ministers and a meeting in this regard is likely to take place shortly.

Reliance, which had proposed 50 retail outlets in Punjab by the end of this fiscal year, had planned to set up rural business hubs in the state that would act as collection centres and provide post-harvest management techniques and other extension services to farmers. There are 16 Reliance outlets in the state currently.