Days after launching a massive drive to dispossess all encroachers from shamlat land across the State, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Thursday constituted a three-member committee to ascertain the actual position with regard to such lands in Mohali district.
Setting December 31 as the deadline to submit its initial report, the Committee has been asked to initiate legal action against anyone found to be in unlawful possession of such lands in Mohali district.
The move came in the wake of several instances of unlawful possession of such lands in Mohali district by some persons that came in the notice of the State Government.
Already, the State Government has asked all the Deputy Commissioners to hold monthly meetings to scrap all such “under-the-carpet deals”.
Reiterating his firm resolve to safeguard villagers’ rights by restoring shamlat or village common lands to the panchayats in the State, Badal constituted the panel comprising Rural Development and Panchayats director Dr SK Raju, Special Secretary Revenue SS Khara, and Mohali District Revenue Officer Rohit Gupta.
It may be recalled that the Tribunal set up by Punjab and Haryana High Court, headed by Justice (retd) Kuldeep Singh had submitted a report in this regard. But, the Committee, set up by Chief Minister, would even go beyond the ambit of findings of this Tribunal.
The Committee has been mandated to examine cases, firstly in respect of villages regarding which Justice Kuldeep Singh Tribunal has given its report and secondly, in respect of other villages in the district.
The terms of reference in first case would be to initiate appropriate action in accordance with the law to rectify irregularities that have been identified by the Tribunal so that the lands which have been wrongfully distributed amongst private persons could be retrieved to the panchayats.
likewise, in the second case, the committee had been asked to prepare village-wise inventory of panchayat lands in Mohali district and to ascertain the current status of this land in terms of both Government record and actual position on the spot.
Apart from this, the committee would also identify persons who have usurped Panchayat land through various means and also suggest measures for retrieving such panchayat lands.
Chief Minister unequivocally said that the state government was duty bound to retrieve all such encroached shamlat lands to the respective village panchayats across the state to ensure the judicious utilisation of these lands for the overall development of the villages besides welfare and prosperity of its people.