Dalits, labourers assured land work will be expedited

Jalandhar, May 31

Officials of the Panchayat Department have been directed to speed up the work to provide Dalits and landless labourers their rights in panchayat land. The instructions to this effect were issued by ADC (General) Girish Dayalan in a meeting with block development and panchayat officers and members of Pendu Mazdoor Union (PMU).

The ADC (General) also instructed the officials to submit a report by June 3 after providing the plots to the Dalits and landless labourers. The plots have already been allotted by the Gram Sabhas.

At the meeting, representatives of the Pendu Mazdoor Union said the earlier directions issued by the ADC (G) on May 23 had been violated and auctions were being held without fulfilling the legal requirements.

The union also warned of stir if the auction of panchayat land was not held as per the legal parameters.

The ADC (G) also directed the officials to conduct a general meeting in villages under the Gram Sabhas to pass a resolution for providing residential plots to the landless labourers and Dalits.

The members of the union had disrupted the auction of panachayat land in many villages earlier as part of their stir. Recently, landless labourers and Dalit had occupied the panchayat land in Dyalpur village in a protest against the alleged illegalities adopted by the department concerned. — TNS