The Punjab Government has recovered Rs 8,710 crore from development authorities under its Department of Housing and Urban Development, citing obligations under the Right to Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.Officials privy to the development said the money already deposited with the state Finance Department pertains to thousands of acres of land acquired by the authorities over the years for urban development.Under Section 10 (3) of the Act, the authorities were required to develop\B \Ban equivalent area of cultivable land for agricultural purposes, or an amount equivalent to the value of the land acquired had to be deposited with the state government. Neither was done.The state further said it had invested a whopping Rs 94,443 crore for enhancing food security. Based on the acquisitions done by the development authorities, including in Mohali, the state government sought Rs 8,710 crore.To facilitate the transfer, GMADA — acting as the nodal agency — pooled Rs 2,500 crore as the final instalment through a three-year loan from the sister organisation that has funds worth Rs 3,770 crore parked as fixed deposits with banks. The money has already been deposited with the state treasury.Of the total Rs 2,500 crore, the largest contribution of Rs 1,000 crore has been sought from the Greater Ludhiana Development Authority. GMADA itself is contributing Rs 450 crore, followed by Jalandhar Development Authority (Rs 300 crore), Patiala Development Authority (Rs 250 crore), Bathinda Development Authority (Rs 200 crore), Amritsar Development Authority (Rs 150 crore) and Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (Rs 50 crore).Sources in the government said the funds deposited with the Finance Department would be used to finance populist welfare initiatives.The eight development authorities under the Department of Housing and Urban Development collectively hold an inventory of unsold residential, commercial and industrial sites valued at over Rs 30,000 crore, with GMADA alone accounting for nearly Rs 24,000 crore. Recently, the government has asked all authorities to prepare a detailed inventory of properties that could be put up for auction.