Nine members of the Indian hockey team, which had won the Junior World Hockey Championship in Australia in October 2001, have finally got 400-square yard residential plot each in Sector 71, Mohali.

The allotments to the hockey players from Punjab and Chandigarh were announced by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in 2001, but were shelved following the refusal of the Sports Department to bear the cost of the plots.

The allotments were restored at a recent meeting of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), chaired by Badal, who is also GMADA chairman. However, it was decided to allot the plots at the present reserve price, which would be paid by the players. Badal handed over the allotment letters on Saturday.

During his previous stint as the CM, Badal had written to the Principal Secretary, Sports, on October 25, 2001, to allot plots to Vikramjit Singh of Baba Bakala, Yugraj Singh of Rayya, Kanwalpreet Singh of Jalandhar, Tejbir Singh of Amritsar, Deepak Thakur of Hoshiarpur, Prabhjot Singh of Batala, Gagan Ajit Singh of Ferozepur, who had then led the winner Indian hockey squad, Inderjit Singh and Rajpal Singh, both from Chandigarh. Recognising the hockey players, Badal had then written that this was the first time in the history that Indian junior team had won the World Cup, the biggest and hardest fought competition in hockey.

"Of the total 16 players, nine were from Punjab, which is an honour for us. I have met the team in Delhi and assured them Rs 1 lakh cash award and a residential plot of 400 square yards in Mohali, free of cost, to each player and officials of the winner team from Punjab and Chandigarh," the CM had written.

Badal had then directed the Sports Department to take up the case with the Finance Department for the release of Rs 20 lakh to the hockey players and PUDA for allotment of plots.

Accordingly, the PUDA had approved at its meeting on November 6, 2001, to recover the amount from the Sports Department or the Punjab State Sports Council, which, however, expressed their inability to provide the funds.

Subsequently, the PUDA decided not to allot the plots. When the beneficiary players approached the CM again, the CM directed the GMADA to take action as per his letter written during his last stint.

Confirming the development, the GMADA Estate Officer Sukhjeet Pal Singh said the authority has allotted the plots at present reserve price of Rs 10,000 per square yard.