The AAP on Tuesday urged the Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore to revoke the Cabinet’s decision to amend ‘Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulation) Rules, 1964, clearing the legal hitch to transfer the ‘shamlat’ land owned by village panchayats to the Industries Department and Export Corporation which would have disastrous consequences in the long run.
The demand was made AAP delegation, led by the Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema, met the Governor and submitted a memorandum.
“The decision, which seemed to have been taken in a tearing hurry, on the pretext of rural industrial development, is nothing but a mere ploy to appease the ‘patronized’ industrial honchos enjoying political patronage as panchayats would be deprived of a sizeable chunk of revenue generated on account of leasing out a whopping 1 lakh 35 thousand acres of land in an annual bid,” read the memorandum. AAP, in the memorandum, stated that under the provision, the panchayats would have to first adopt a resolution to sell their respective village land to the PSIEC and the same would be sold out further once the resolution gets Government’s nod. “However, the PSIEC would not pay adequate share of the proceeds to the panchayats, which raised a serious question of propriety on the part of the government,” it added.