Punjab clears over 1000 acres of encroachment in 12 days: Minister

On Thursday, Punjab Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that over 1,000 acres of panchayat land had been cleared of encroachment in the previous 12 days.

Last month, the rural development department initiated a campaign to clear encroachments on panchayat properties.

In the past 12 days, the department has cleared 1,008 acres of panchayat land from encroachment, according to Mr. Dhaliwal.

“The department has cleared encroachments on land worth 302 crores so far under this special effort,” the minister said. Many individuals, he claimed, are stepping forward to relinquish their ownership of panchayat property.

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“People of Chhaleri Kalan in Fatehgarh Sahib district willingly evacuated the unlawful occupancy of 417 acres of panchayat property today,” he added. Mr. Dhaliwal went on to say that the state government would build a veterinary facility in the area.

Similarly, according to the ministry, a potato producer in the Doaba district has willingly given up 35 acres of property that he had unlawfully held for many years.

According to the minister, Chief Ministry Bhagwant Mann would provide a specific number on which information concerning encroachments on government lands may be submitted.

The department has established a separate cell to remove encroachments on panchayat lands.

The cell will aggregate data on encroachments, investigate legal issues, and present a report on encroachment clearance on panchayat property.

According to CM Mann, people who are unlawfully occupying government or panchayat land will face punishment if they do not return it to the authorities by the end of the month.