Land pooling policy to give impetus to development: CM

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann here on Thursday said that the new land pooling scheme of the state was aimed at providing a sustainable source of income to farmers “as agriculture was no longer a profitable venture”.

Interacting with farmers here today, the CM said land pooling was aimed at creating a perennial source of income for farmers and making them an active partner in the growth and progress of the state. He said no forcible acquisition of land would be done in the state and only those farmers who agreed under the policy would give their land. Mann said as per the policy, farmers would get commercial and residential plots in the scheme apart from compensation.

He said farmers and unions were different entities as these people had opened their shops in the name of securing interests of farmers. He said office-bearers of kisan unions had acquired huge chunks of properties by minting money illegally and had even put shares in hotels and hospitals in the state. Mann dared the kisan unions to have live discussions with him on various issues pertaining to agrarian crisis.

Mann questioned the silence of kisan unions over the issue of “snatching” of water by the BBMB and Haryana, adding that they had not even issued a single statement in this regard. He said they were merely running their shops by staging road and rail blockades on frivolous issues but remained mum over this major issue concerning the state.

The CM said all was not well in the Badal-Majithia family as Akali leaders Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia were not on speaking terms with each other.