Over 21,000 acres around UT notified under PLPA

Ruchika M Khanna

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 2

The state government today issued a notification under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900, for 21,944 acres in 15 villages falling in an ecologically sensitive area in the Shivalik foothills on Chandigarh’s periphery.

These villages are Tarapur, Burana, Gocher, Majra, Sultanpur, Pallanpur, Dulwan, Siswan, Choti Bari Nagal, Parol, Majrian, Seonk, Parchh, Nada and Karoran. The notification, with 15-year validity, was issued by Additional Chief Secretary, Forests and Wildlife Preservation, Satish Chandra.

The entire area that was under Section 4 ever since the previous notification was issued in 2003 has been included in the fresh notification too. This includes 3,724.85 acres of Siswan village, where Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has bought land. The area delisted under the PLPA in 2011 remains as such.

The notification prohibits clearing, breaking or cultivation of land; quarrying of stone, sand and soil or the burning of lime, cutting of trees etc. Earlier this week, The Tribune had highlighted that there was a move to let the previous (2003) notification cease on February 2 so that politicians, land sharks and bureaucrats could develop this area, where such activity is banned under the PLPA.

A senior officer of the Forest Department had issued a letter to developers, saying that they would be free to develop the land once the PLPA notification ceased to exist. The officer (Harsh Kumar) was transferred by the government after a controversy erupted.

Officials in the Forest and Wildlife Conservation Department told The Tribune that while issuing the fresh notification, extending the period for which the soil here needs to be conserved, they had abided by the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court for fresh studies on soil stability in the region. These studies were conducted by the Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC) and the Institute of Soil and Land Use Survey of India. The findings were discussed by a high-powered committee headed by Satish Chandra.

The study conducted by the IISWC has shown that soil erosion varied from severe to very severe.

The report by the Institute of Soil and Land Use Survey has categorised the soil erosion risk in these villages as “very high”. Both studies have recommended that these villages be kept under forest cover to protect them from further degradation, besides ensuring regulated use of land.

State should abide by past judgments: HC

• Before the fresh notification was issued, a Division Bench of the High Court held that it was sure that the Punjab Government would conduct a proper inquiry on the state of the land and follow the directives on the matter in accordance with earlier court judgments before issuing any fresh notification.
• Disposing of a writ petition, the Bench also directed the Additional Advocate General, who was present in court, to convey the Bench’s observations to the state government immediately.