Sekhowal villagers see ray of hope for getting land back from Ludhiana devp body

Residents of Sekhowal village near Mattewara see ray of hope for getting their land back from the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) after Faridkot MP Sarabjit Singh’s assurance to take up the matter with the state minority commission.

The Independent MP visited the village on Thursday.

Between 2020 and 2022, GLADA acquired approximately 416 kanals of panchayat land in the village for the Mattewara textile park project. However, the project was later shelved. The villagers have so far not been given any compensation or their land back.

The residents of Sekhowal village hail from Scheduled Castes (SC) or Backward Castes (BC) categories.

MP Sarabjit Singh, a Ramdasia Sikh himself, extended support to help the villagers for getting their land back.

Kashmir Singh Sekhowal, sarpanch, said the MP’s visit brought renewed hope among the villagers. He said residents had been living under constant fear of losing their land to GLADA.

“There was widespread opposition when the textile park was proposed. Later, the state government decided to return the land to the village panchayat since the project was shelved. However, even after four years, the land is in GLADA’s name. We fear it could be taken away again,” said the sarpanch.

Around 80 families in the village depend on farming on the panchayat land in question for livelihood.

“We have been running from pillar to post to have the land restored to the panchayat, but our voices have gone unheard. The MP’s assurance to take up the issue with the SC/BC commission and the government has provided some relief. Though we continue to farm the land, we do so under constant fear,” the sarpanch added.

After opposition for the proposed textile park, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had assured the villagers that their land would be returned.

MP Sarabjit Singh said the state government was “apathetic” towards Dalits. He claimed the government had to get a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the villagers before acquiring the land, which it failed to do. “I am going to take up the matter before SC commission to provide them respite,” said Singh.

The MP visited rebel Akali Dal leader Manpreet Singh Ayali during the bhog ceremony for the latter’s young nephew.