Bhullarai farmers stand firm against land pooling

A delegation of farmers from Bhullarai village, under the leadership of Sarpanch Rajat Bhanot Raju, met Kapurthala DC Amit Kumar Panchal today to express opposition to the proposed land acquisition for the urban estate project.

The delegation submitted a memorandum demanding the plan to acquire 200 acre of farmland at Bhullarai under the project should be cancelled.

Farmers expressed concerns that the project would result in the loss of nearly all agricultural land in the village, severely impacting the livelihoods of residents who are primarily dependent on farming.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Sarpanch Rajat emphasised that agriculture is the ancestral occupation of most villagers and that they lack experience in any other profession.

“If our lands are taken, we will have no means of survival,” he said.

The memorandum also highlighted the villagers’ environmental concerns, stating that the urbanisation would not only disrupt the local agrarian economy, but also have a detrimental impact on the environment. The proposed project, they warned, would lead to the felling of thousands of trees, degrading air quality and disturbing the ecological balance of the region.

The Sarpanch stated that the village panchayat is firmly opposed to the project. “We are not against development,” he said, “but it should not come at the cost of our land, environment and our identity.”

It was also noted that a similar memorandum had been submitted to the SDM of Phagwara last month.

Several panchayat members and villagers were present during the meeting, including Ummandeep Singh, Paramjit Singh, Harminder Singh, Gagandeep Bhanot, former Sarpanch Kulwantar Singh, Kulwinder Singh, Tarsem Singh, Jaswant Singh, Gurbaksh Singh, Jinder Singh, Hoshiar Singh, Avtar Singh, Mohan Singh, and Harpal Singh.