The Uttar Pradesh government informed the state Assembly on Wednesday that 52,990 hectares of government land had been freed from land mafia in the state till July 31 last.
Urban Development Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, while replying to a question of Samajwadi Party member Sanjay Garg, said that 1,572 land-sharks had been identified in the state against whom criminal cases had been registered and action had been taken.
The minister reiterated that the government had taken precautions to ensure that poor and landless people were not harassed by the government’s action.
“In April last, a government order was issued clarifying that people who had less than one bigha land would not be evicted from the government land. landless labourers or poor who are residing for the past 10 years will not be removed and if removed will be given adequate land,” he added.
leader of opposition Ram Govind Chowdhury said that the lekhpals were threatening the poor and landless and harassing them and even asking bribe. He said that while the big land-sharks were being spared because of their connections with the officials, the poor farmers were being harassed.
Protest: Congress members on Wednesday lodged a strong protest over the arrest of five social workers in different parts of the country in the name of urban Naxalism.
The Congress members trouped into the Well of the House when it met for the day and tried to draw the attention of the Chair.
Speaker Hriday Narayan Dikshit did not allow the Congress members to speak and ordered that what they were said would not be part of the House proceedings.
later, the Congress members staged a noisy walkout of the House in protest.