Ahead of SC hearing: ‘SYL land returned, chapter closed’
PATIALA: Setting up another flashpoint on the inter-state water dispute, Punjab government claims to have completed more than 10,000 mutations of land records in three days to “return” the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal project land to original owners and their heirs. On Monday, the Supreme Court is to hear Haryana’s petition against Punjab’s unilateral action in alleged violation of earlier SC orders.
Punjab finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said at Fatehgarh Sahib on Saturday, “Now the SYL is a closed chapter as the land is back with farmers, who can do whatever they want with it.” He was reiterating what deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had said after the November 16 emergency session of the assembly that passed two resolutions against the canal project, which has been in limbo for four decades. Meanwhile, speaking in Shimla, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar said the SYL dispute no longer existed after the SC’s November 10 verdict in favour of Haryana.
In the four districts of Punjab where the land is situated, nearly 200 revenue officials worked 18 hours a day since Thursday to record the land back in the original owners’ names. Originally, 5,314 acres were acquired from 4,824 private persons and some government land from 1978 to 1982. However, after a gap of almost 35 years, with the death of many persons, now the number of beneficiaries has crossed 10,000.
“There were directions to complete the task by Saturday, and it has been done,” said a revenue official in Patiala. “The owners can collect the fard (land record) on Monday morning. These have already been printed out,” said Ramvir Singh, deputy commissioner of Patiala.
Harpreet Singh Sudan, subdivisional magistrate (SDM), Rajpura, explained, “While the work to give back the de-notified land from the irrigation department to village land record was completed on Thursday, mutation for every owner was done on Friday and Saturday.”
On Saturday, no fard was provided to anyone, though farmers lined up at the revenue offices to know how much land they had got. “We decided to complete the pending work as desired by government, thus we didn’t gave fard to anyone. Farmers can collect it from Monday and take possession. And those who have already taken possession in March16 and 17 will present their claim for confirmation of possession to patwaris, which will be accepted on the spot,” he said.
On Saturday evening, revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia too said 90% work on record mutation was done, and the rest would be done “in the next few hours”. Majithia thanked the officials for cooperating in implementing the decision of the cabinet and Vidhan Sabha. “For their contribution, everyone involved in returning the land to the real owners will be remembered by coming generations,” he added.
To further uproot the built portion of canal, as per strategy, Akali leaders have already started asking farmers to collect the fards, while patwaris have been directed to remain on call to verify the physical possession. Akali MLA Nirmal Singh in his public gatherings in Fatehgarh Sahib asked farmers to take possession at the earliest.
Punjab Patwar Union leader Mohan Singh confirmed that patwaris will remain available on call on Monday. The land is in Patiala, Rupnagar and Fatehgarh Sahib, besides Patiala.
› For their contribution, everyone involved in returning the land to the real owners will be remembered by coming generations. BIKRAM SINGH MAJITHIA, revenue minister