PLPA notification renewed in Mohali villages after row
Comes after reports that govt was going to let earlier notification expire, thus ‘benefitting’ builders and others, including CM
MOHALI: The Punjab government has renewed a ban on construction and other activities in the kandi belt area falling on Mohali district, again notifying section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) for 15 villages. There was a row after reports that government was going to allow the earlier notification to expire on February 2, thus “benefitting” builders and other bigwigs.
CHANDIGARH/MOHALI: The Punjab government has renewed a ban on construction and other activities in the kandi belt area falling on Mohali district, again notifying section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) for 15 villages. There was a row after reports that the government was going to allow the earlier notification to expire at the end of 15 years on February 2, thus “benefitting” builders and other bigwigs, including chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who owns some land here.
“The notification has put a stop to the misinformation campaign in the region,” said forest and wildlife preservation minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, “Work will continue, as before, in works related to schemes in the closed areas of forest, soil conservation, rural development and panchayat department.”
To ensure maximum publicity for the move, announcements were made from religious places and advertisements were also given in newspapers. The minister also said that earlier the forest department got conducted a complete study by the Central Soil Conservation Institute (a Union government undertaking), and Punjab Remote Sensing Agency, besides other agencies. These agencies, he claimed, had termed this land as ‘severe erosion’ area.
Meanwhile, protesting the move, local people led by BJP’S state unit vice-president Harjit Singh Grewal and secretary Vineet Joshi protested outside the deputy commissioner’s office in Mohali. They accused the district forest officer of assuming the powers of the DC and issuing notices.
‘FOLLOW PROPER PROCEDURE’
Grewal and Joshi said, “The high court orders clearly state that if the government wants to implement the PLPA then it should first conduct a proper legal and scientific evaluation to ascertain that soil erosion is taking place and the water table is falling. Secondly, if erosion is taking place and water table is falling, then the government should be convinced that implementing the ban under PLPA would stabilise ecology in the area. Thirdly, proper legal procedure should be followed as prescribed under section 7 of the PLPA.”
“However,” they claimed, “forest department officials are misleading the poor and illiterate landowners of the villages.”
They demanded that a fresh notification be issued after adopting “proper procedure and mandatory provisions”; and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner.
HC DISPOSES OF PETITION
Also, meanwhile, the Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday disposed of a petition filed by a Kharar panchayat seeking prohibitory orders to the state government against notifying village land under Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900.The high court bench of justice Mahesh Grover and justice Rajbir Sehrawat disposed of the petition, observing that it was filed prematurely, since the government was yet to carry out any notification. The detailed order is awaited.
Gram panchayat Majrian in Kharar had filed the petition, seeking the prohibitory order and demanding that the government should compensate villagers in the event of notification by the state.
The Majrian village is among 15 villages of Mohali district where the earlier notification would have lapsed next month, at the end of 15 years.
There are over 30,000 acres in 502 villages in the kandi belt. The PLPA notification restricts construction in the ecological fragile area of Shivalik foothills.
The government has extended the notification and move comes after allegations that chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and other politicians and bureaucrats — with land in the belt — would benefit if restrictions were to be removed. The villagers had also argued that the restrictions can only be imposed after a detailed study by the government, however, no such exercise has been carried out so far.