Slamming Punjab Government for giving ‘shamlat’ (village common) land to its “favoured” industrial unit owners for nuts, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday said that it should desist from doing so as the land was a collective village panchayat and it could not be disposed of without prior approval of the respective Panchayat.
“As per the amended law, land on which the Government proposed to set up industrial units got to be approved from the respective village panchayat. And before doing so, the Government should start from the millions of acres of land which is under the illegal occupation of those enjoying political patronage,” said AAP’s senior leader and Leader of Opposition in Vidhan Sabha Harpal Singh Cheema and MLA Kultar Singh Sandhwan, in a joint statement.
The State Cabinet, on Monday, gave its approval to amend The Punjab Village Common Land (Regulations) Rules, 1964, “which is nothing but an attempt to appease the ‘favoured’ industrialists or corporate houses, for allowing them to purchase land for a song, which smacked of widespread corruption”, said APA leaders.
Cheema said that the Government should first start a concerted campaign to free millions of acres of panchayat land under the unauthorized occupation of those close to power corridor. “Mere panchayat resolution is not suffice to dispose of the panchayat land. Meetings of village gram sabhas should be convened to discuss the issue before disposing of the land,” he said.
He added that AAP, along with people of the state, would not allow the Government to sell the panchayat land for nuts, and “a statewide stir would be launched against the move”.
Sandhwan said that AAP would launch an awareness campaign in the State telling people how panchayat lands were being sold off to the ‘favoured’ few close to the ruling party. He also demanded that the benefit of the scheme should be also given to the unemployed and the landless.