Action committee opposes land pooling policy of state government

Office-bearers and activists of ‘Kamm (work) Bachao, Khet Bachao, Pind Bachao Action Committee’ have reiterated their earlier stand to launch a coordinated morcha to protest against Punjab Government’s land pooling policy.

The announcement was made after a meeting of the action committee with Cabinet Minister Gurmit Singh Khudian on Thursday failed to yield the desired results.

“Having failed to receive any assurance regarding a review of the policy aimed to benefit the corporates and shatter the economy of the region by snatching 25,000 acres of fertile land, we have decided to take organisational steps instead of wasting time in attending meetings with the Chief Minister or any other representative of the government,” said former MLA Tarsem Jodhan, an office-bearer of the committee.

Jodhan regretted that Minister Khudian had failed to give any concrete answer to issues raised by the delegation consisting of sarpanches and former sarpanches of at least 20 localities.

The delegates apprised the minister of the consequences of developing commercial sites by acquiring agricultural land during the tenure of earlier governments. They said the purchase of plots and flats developed by acquiring agricultural land disappointed all stakeholders, including farmers and purchasers. Khudian had no answer to queries about the rehabilitation of landless farmers who were running their families by tilling land belonging to NRIs.

Balvir Singh Sooch, another leader of the committee, claimed that the organisation had also launched a campaign to pass resolutions in Gram Sabha meetings of villages concerned regarding saying a categorical no to the land pooling policy.

Sooch appreciated that residents of Jodhan village had resolved not to allow the acquisition of village land during a Gram Sabha meeting held recently.