It is an issue of information dissemination and transparency in decision-making processes. This is the backdrop against which the Punjab government’s Rs 1.5 crore per acre to farmers in Jhurheri village for the Chandigarh international airport needs to be viewed — a princely sum compared with what Punjab and Haryana have offered earlier. Had the Punjab government offered Rs 64 lakh per acre (as it did to Chilla farmers for the knowledge city in Mohali), Jhurheri village might well have accepted, especially since farming is no longer attractive.

The point is that by providing a more generous package, the Punjab administration not only handled potential resentment better, but it also provided a better information environment for Punjab’s farmers to operate in.

This assumes additional significance because, apart from public acquisition, private land sales in adjoining areas are also possible, which will now reflect more realistic prices.

In addition, incentives (waiver of registration fees, stamp duties, priority power connections) have been thrown in. However, Punjab’s largefarmer and Green Revolution agriculture is not representative of Indian agriculture. It is not obvious that a better information environment will be sufficient elsewhere in India. It is, however, necessary