Expected to be tabled in the coming session of Vidhan Sabha, the proposed amendment Bill in the Panchayati Raj Act allowing transfer of Panchayat land to a private firm for ‘solar energy’ generation would face opposition from the Congress.
Terming it as SAD-BJP Government’s “another ploy to grab village Panchayat land”, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday said that the party would strongly oppose the proposed amendment Bill in the Panchayati Raj Act.
“This is another ploy of SAD-BJP Government to grab village Panchayat land and deprive them of only source of income. Shamlat land is the only asset of village Panchayats which caters to their local needs,” he added.
The SAD-BJP Government had proposed to transfer five acres of land from each Panchayat to private company dealing with solar energy - the department headed by Cabinet Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, “who is infamous for many misadventures like illegal mining in state”.
Bajwa appealed to village Panchayats to oppose any such move and pass resolutions against transfer of their land to private firm. “Since there is no provision to hand over Shamlat land to private company, it is expected that an amendment would be moved in the Vidhan Sabha. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had in 2007 cancelled an agreement signed with Reliance to build an agro chain to boost crop diversification on the plea that Panchayati land couldn’t be transferred to private firm,” he added.