Book encroachers in Burj Hassan: BDPO

Ashok Kaura

Phagwara, January 24

The Nurmahal Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) has asked the Bilga police to register cases against Burj Hassan villagers for encroaching on common village land.

In an official communication to the Bilga station house officer (SHO), the BDPO said the common village land which had been vacated has been encroached upon again. The communication said this is causing a huge financial loss to the Burj Hassan village panchayat. The BDPO said a case under Section 13-A of the Punjab Village

Common Land Act,1961, be registered against 35 encroachers by name.

The then District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) Jarnail Singh had passed orders against 30 encroachers on March 9, 2004. He had also pronounced that Rs 5,000 per acre be recovered from the encroachers for the period from 1999 to 2003.

The communication said the village panchayat was hand in glove with the encroachers, adding that the auction of the land was announced many times, but the panchayat did not cooperate. Nine years ago, the Nurmahal BDPO had written to the Bilga police to register cases against Burj Hassan villagers but to no avail.

The BDPO, in a piece of information procured under the RTI Act, had said the Phillaur sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) was requested to impose Section 145 of the CrPC on the land to check the encroachers but no such action was taken. Bilga SHO Mohindar Pal said he had no information about any communication from the Nurmahal BDPO and no case has been registered against the encroachers by the police.

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