What is MP’s Simhastha Land Pooling Policy and why was it revoked

Earlier this week, the Madhya Pradesh government revoked the proposed land pooling scheme in Ujjain, aimed at permanently acquiring thousands of hectares of land to build infrastructure for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela, 2028.

A major land acquisition initiative by the Madhya Pradesh government, the Simhastha land pooling policy was withdrawn after widespread farmer protests and political backlash. Here’s what it was.

Simhastha Land Pooling Policy – key provisions

The policy aimed to pool government and private land so the government could build permanent roads, utilities, sanitation, and large-scale facilities for the massive influx of devotees during the decennial Simhastha mela.

The policy targeted pooling between 2,376 and 3,360 hectares of land in all, of which approximately 850 hectar