Chandigarh: In an unprecedented move, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spearheaded the government drive to take possession of 2,828 acres of illegally encroached prime land worth Rs 350 crore in block Majri of the SAS Nagar from 15 influential encroachers, including sons of newly elected MP from Sangrur Simranjit Singh Mann and former Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar.
The Chief Minister, who led the drive to take possession of land at Chotti Badi Naggal village, said that this prime land is situated in the foothills and has been illegally occupied by several influential officers and politicians for a long time. He said that the illegal occupants include Imaanjit Singh Mann, son of Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur Simranjit Singh Mann, who had encroached 125 acres of land and former Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar’s son Harmandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who has encroached five acres of land. Similarly, Bhagwant Mann said that the daughter and son-in-law of Sangrur MP have also occupied 28 acres of prime land illegally.
Disclosing the details of encroachers, the Chief Minister said that 1,100 acres have been encroached by Fauja Singh, who runs an infrastructure company. He said that other encroachers include Imaan Singh (125 acres), Akur Dhawan (103 acres), Jatinder Singh Dua and Pukhraj Singh Dua (40 acres), Prabhdeep Singh Sandhu, Gobind Singh Sandhu and Nanki Kaur (28 acres), Ripudaman Singh (25 acres), Navdeep Kaur (15 acres), Deepak Bansal (12 acres), KF Farms (11 acres), Tejvir Singh Dhillon (10 acres), Inderjit Singh Dhillon (eight acres), Deepinder Pal Chahal (eight acres), Sandeep Bansal (six acres), Harmandeep Singh Dhaliwal (five acres), Manjit Singh Dhanoa (five acres) and Rita Sharma (four acres).
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The Chief Minister said that starting from May 1 this year, the State government has so far taken possession of 9,053 acres of prime land, which had been illegally encroached by people. He said that it is a part of the poll guarantee of his party as during campaigning they had promised people that all the influential illegal encroachers, who have plundered the wealth will be brought to book. Taking the opposition to cudgels, Bhagwant Mann said that these parties have always mocked him by raising questions that from where will the funds from all his promises come.
The Chief Minister reminded them that he had always asserted that the funds will come from the foothills of Shivaliks, only after the prime land under their possession will be freed. He said that out of these 2,828 acres, 265 acres are in the plain area whereas 2,563 acres are in the hilly area adding that trees of costly wood are found in abundance here. Bhagwant Mann said that only the influential people, who have occupied the land illegally, are being removed adding that no tiller of land or the poor, who is living here or earning their bread and butter from this place, are not being displaced.
The Chief Minister complimented Rural Development Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal for spearheading the drive. He asserted said that this drive will continue till the entire government land is freed from the encroachers. Bhagwant Mann also announced that a detailed inquiry has been ordered to ascertain how these encroachers had occupied this land adding that the officers, who have connived with these encroachers, will also be brought to book. On the occasion, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal thanked the Chief Minister for encouraging them during this campaign.
