launching a massive drive to dispossess all encroachers from shamlat land across the State, Punjab Government has directed all the Deputy Commissioners to hold monthly meetings to scrap all such under-the-carpet deals.
The instructions have also been given to dispose off all such pending cases of land encroachment at the earliest. For the purpose, the officers of State Rural Development and Panchayats department have been asked to assist the DCs to free the Government land from the grab of miscreants. The move came following the recent revelations of murky deals by the State’s top politicians, hailing from the ruling and also the opposition parties, in different parts of the State, especially in Chandigarh’s peripheral area.
“Financial Commissioner, Revenue, has written a letter to all Deputy Commissioners to hold a meeting every month to deal with the cases of shamlat land encroachment,” said State Rural Development and Panchayat Minster Surjit Singh Rakhra. Rakhra said that District Welfare and Panchayat Officer, District Revenue Officer, Tehsildar and Block Welfare and Panchayat officer would also attend these meetings.
“The DCs have also been instructed to implement the land possession warrant in a stipulated time-frame so as to divest the encroachers from the illegal possession of common land. They have been asked to ensure disposal of all such cases filed under Section 7 within three months and cases under Sections 6 and 11 within six months,” said the Minister.
The Deputy Commissioners have also been asked to submit the proceedings of all such meetings to the Financial Commissioner Revenue, Financial Commissioner Rural Development and Panchayats and Director Rural Development and Panchayats. Rakhra said that as demanded by the panchayats, tehsildar would have to do the demarcation of the shamlat land within 30 days.
“There is substantial increase in the income of the panchayats as the auction process of the shamlat land has been made online,” said Rakhra. He added that the auction process has also been videographed and the Department earned Rs 237 crore from this exercise in the current year which is Rs 16 crore more than the previous year. In 2012, Rs 221 crore was earned from the auction of shamlat land.