Punjab Cabinet on Friday decided to introduce “the Punjab Satluj Yamuna link Canal (Rehabilitation and Re-vesting of Proprietary Rights) Bill, 2016” in the ongoing session of State Assembly for rehabilitation of land owners by again vesting the proprietary rights to them.
This means that the land acquired for the Satluj Yamuna link Canal would be returned to the farmers as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal announced in the State Assembly on Thursday.
A specially convened meeting of Cabinet chaired by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal decided to bring the Bill.
A spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said that the record of rights would stand amended and modified to that effect by the concerned Revenue authorities from the date on which this Act was notified.
The Cabinet also gave approval to the draft Bill, which further stipulated that such land owners or their successors-in-interest, as the case may be, would repay the total amount of compensation along with all statuary benefits accrued to them along with the rate of interest to be notified by the Government, in 60 equal instalments starting from the expiry of sixth month from the date of notification, failing which the same would be liable to be recovered as arrears of land revenue.
The Bill also envisaged that the provisions of this Act would have overriding effect notwithstanding anything in consistent herewith contained in any Act, Rule, Judgement, Decree, Notification, Order or any other instrument having the effect of law.
Badal had on Thursday moved a resolution in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, which was unanimously adopted.
The resolution said that Punjab is primarily an agrarian State and river waters are its lifeline. However, after the partition of the country, Punjab had been subjected to continuous discrimination and injustice.
It said Punjab didn’t have a single drop of water to share with anyone. The House resolved not to accept any decision against injustice to river waters of Punjab. Any attempt to divest river waters of Ravi, Beas from Punjab and forcefully implementing the decision to construct SYl on Punjab in defiance to nationally and internationally accepted riparian principles would never be tolerated at any cost.
The Resolution commited all Punjabis and all political parties would safeguard the rights of Punjab in unison, rising above their personal differences.
In the backdrop of the resolution, the Chief Minister declared that Punjab Government would restore the land which had been acquired for the construction of the controversial Satluj-Yamuna Canal in Punjab to the owners from who it was acquired for the construction of main SYl Canal.