HC not for giving ownership of plots to beneficiaries of welfare schemes

CHANDIGARH : The Punjab and Haryana high court has sought response from Punjab, Haryana and the Chandigarh administration asking them to consider not giving ownership of plots/ areas to individuals, where residential units are being constructed under welfare schemes.

The high court bench of justice Ritu Bahri also directed the Punjab government to earmark land for the poor for construction of houses in Seonkh village in Mohali, but not to transfer land in their names.

It had come to light that earlier too, some of the families in the village got plots allotted from the panchayat but sold them off and again started living in shanties. Around 40 families are reportedly living in the village with no proper houses, not even electricity in their kutcha houses.

The bench was hearing a suo motu petition in which the court is monitoring social schemes being implemented by the governments.

The Punjab government had told the court that a scheme was in place for providing plots to scheduled castes (SCS) and other poor homeless people.

As per this policy, the gram panchayat of a village allots plots measuring up to 5 marlas from shamlat land to SCS and other poor homeless people eligible under the scheme.

However, the bench observed that instead of allotting plots to SC and other homeless people, gram panchayats may earmark the area and give it to the beneficiaries, but the land should not be transferred in their name in view of instances like those reported from Seonkh village every now and then where many beneficiaries further sold off the land to others.

The court also sought response from Haryana and Chandigarh on their policies for the poor and homeless and on the proposal mooted by the court.

The response is to be submitted by November 3.