Expecting to generate Rs 17,000 crore to fund the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) pre-poll promise of providing Rs 1,000 monthly incentive to women, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has given his nod to the extension of Aerotropolis Residential Project near IT City after withholding the file for over a month.

Under the extension project, the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) will develop six more blocks — E, F, G, H, I and J — in the residential project, in addition to A, B, C and D.

The land for B, C and D blocks has been acquired, and the development work has been set in motion, but the development of Block A is hanging fire due to the land on which it is to be developed getting stuck in the alleged guava.

State government sources said that after refusing to sign the file for over a month, Mann finally signed it Wednesday last, giving clearance to extend the project.

It is learnt that the CM held a meeting with officials of the Chief Minister’s Office and the Housing Development Department on Wednesday noon and told them categorically that he would “not clear any file related to a housing project worth crores”, and sent them back. However, after a few hours, “he called officials again and cleared the file”.