Recover money from landgrabbers in three months, Bhagwant Mann tells Punjab officials

Chandigarh, January 30

Tightening noose around the landgrabber real estate developers, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has asked officials of the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats to recover money from them within 90 days.

According to sources, at a recent meeting, Mann had instructed the officials to complete the process of charging money from the developers within three months. The sources revealed that the meeting was attended by Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats Kuldeep Dhaliwal, Financial Commissioner, Rural Development, K Siva Prasad and Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh.

The sources in the department revealed that the District Development and Panchayat Officers had prepared the detailed reports regarding the area of the land. The most important aspect of the whole exercise would be the value of the land decided by the Deputy Commissioners on the basis of which the amount would be charged.

The prime land had been in the possession of developers for more than a decade but the officials, acting in connivance with the developers, had failed to recover the amount from them. Now, the CM, putting a deadline for recovery of the amount, has brought the issue near to closure.

Dhaliwal said they had served notices on the erring developers and most of them approached the department to deposit the amounts. They would complete the process within the time given by the CM.

In its edition on December 1, The Tribune had reported that around 80 acres of panchayat lands worth Rs 500 crore were lying in the projects of real estate developers in Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda, but the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats had failed to recover money from them.

80 acres with realtors

Around 80 acres of panchayat land worth Rs 500 crore is lying in the projects of real estate developers in Mohali, Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda, but the Department of Rural Development and Panchayats had failed to recover money from them.