Chandigarh, December 6
As a large number of panchayats have been ripped off their lands worth several hundred crores in a scandalous manner by private parties allegedly in connivance with officers concerned, the Punjab Government has launched a massive exercise to gather the details of cases in which orders were passed against the panchayats concerned since January 1, 2000.

Confirming the exercise, Punjab Chief Secretary, Ramesh Inder Singh, told TNS today that all cases in which orders had been passed against village panchayats in recent years would be reopened and challenged at the appropriate level.

He said even officers who had the legal authority to decide such cases and now suspected to have played foul while passing orders in favour of private parties to rob panchayats off their lands would be taken to task.

Ramesh Inder Singh said a senior IAS officer, who is now posted as deputy commissioner in an important district, had been asked to explain the orders passed by him in certain cases. Cases were decided by him when he was posted as joint development commissioner. Explanation has been sought on the basis of an inquiry report submitted by the financial commissioner (revenue), Romila Dubey, to the chief minister and the chief secretary.

Another deputy commissioner, who is posted in another important district, is also under cloud because about 70 cases decided by him as additional deputy commissioner (development) are being reopened.

Information available with the panchayats department has revealed that ownership title of more than 10,000 acres of panchayat lands at various places in the state has been transferred to private parties. Most of such cases belonged to Patiala, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Ropar and certain other districts. Worth of the land is in several hundred crores because at certain places the land in question is close to urban areas where one acre of land fetches a price varying between Rs 2 crore to Rs 7 crore, it is learnt.

For instance, sources said, ownership title of a huge chunk of panchayat land had been transferred to private parties near Pir Mushala village adjoining Zirakpur where one acre of land had fetched Rs 8 crore in recent past.

The Punjab Government had passed the Punjab Village Common Lands (Regulations) Act in 1961 by which “Shamlat Deh” and “Mushtraka Malkan” lands were put under the control of village panchayats concerned in the state.While panchayats were declared owners of Shamlat Deh land, they were declared custodians of Mushtraka Malkan lands. Private parties at various places claimed ownership over such lands challenging the transfer of such lands to panchayats.

Sources in the department said officers, who decided cases, had no authority to transfer of title but had the powers to decide whether the land in question belonged to the panchayat or not. At certain places land over the years was being given on rent through auction system to farmers by panchayats concerned. In many cases, this factor was ignored while giving decision. And in certain cases though girdavari of the land was in the name of the panchayat since 1950 proving the fact that the land belonged to the panchayat but even that factor was ignored.

Meanwhile, the panchayat department has also decided to prepare inventory of its land. While preparing the inventory, comparison will be made as to how much land is with the panchayats now and what was before 1960.