The Modi Government has recently decided to defreeze agriculture land accounts of some Sikh farmers in Kutch district, whose land was frozen due to violation of revenue laws.
The issue pertaining to freezing of agriculture land by the Gujarat Government became controversial and even Punjab CM Prakash Singh Badal had talked to his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi in August. Though the matter is sub-judice, Modi assured Badal and Sikh community leaders for all possible help.
Talking to The Pioneer, Kutch Resident Additional Collector DB Shah confirmed the development and said that decision was taken after scrutinising land holding documents of the farmers. It was not only Sikh farmers whose lands were frozen, as total 784 such cases, number of Sikh farmers are nearly 245, said a senior official in the State Revenue department adding that of these 52 Sikh farmers have been given relief.
Revenue department sources said that post 1965 India-Pak war nearly 1,000 Sikh families migrated to bordering Kutch district and started tilling land and some of them purchased agriculture land too.
“The issue aroused out of a 50-year-old policy in Gujarat on agriculturist. As per the Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural land (Vidarbha region and Kutch area) Act, 1958 agriculture land cannot be purchased or
retained by a ‘non-agriculturist. An ‘agriculturist’ defined in the Act as a person who owns and cultivates land in Gujarat,” said a senior official.
In pursuance of the provisions of the above Act, the then Congress Government ruled by CM Ghanshyambhai Oza issued a circular saying that the cases of sale to any non-agriculturist in Gujarat should be examined immediately and prompt action should be taken to deal with the provisions of the relevant Acts, he said.