Residents protest proposed land acquisition for industry

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, December 8

Under the banner of the Zameen Prapti Sangharsh Committee (ZPSC), Balad Kalan residents today protested in front of the Sangrur Deputy Commissioner’s office and alleged that the state government had secretly initiated the process to acquire village common land for industrial unit.

“It is injustice to the village as how the government could acquire 350 acres of fertile land for industry without taking the consent. We will not allow it at any cost as out of the total land, 33 per cent is of Dalits, who do not have any other alternative and they are producing their crops on their share jointly,” said Mukesh Malaud, Sangrur district president of the ZPSC. In the Budget Session, the state government had announced to set up a new industrial hub in Sangrur.

Sangrur MLA and AICC spokesperson Vijay Inder Singla has identified 1,200 acres of village common land in various villages to offer it to set up new industrial units in the district. But the MLA has been clarifying from since the first day of starting the process that all land would be acquired with the consent of the village panchayat concerned.

“The government should take the opinion of the area residents also as a majority of panchayats work as per the orders of the government. Some government officials have been visiting villages secretly and gathering information about the land,” said Malaud.

After the protest, they submitted a memorandum for Punjab CM to the DC and demanded the cancellation of all process. Sangrur DC APS Virk said he had received the memorandum.

“The government has not started any process as yet to acquire any land,” the DC said.