(Chd,Pb) Punjab Govt Shows U Turn On Land Bank
Punjab minister Sunder Shyam Arora on lashed out at Lok Insaaf Party (LIP) chief Simarjit Bains for “spreading misinformation” against the government over its decision to create land banks in rural areas to boost industrial development.
The Punjab Cabinet led by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had on December 2 given in-principle approval to amend the law for transfer of common village land in rural areas to the state’s industry department for setting up industrial projects.
The cabinet also gave its nod to amend the Punjab Village Common Land (Regulation) Rules, 1964 to create land banks.
The LIP has decided to launch a statewide stir against the government’s decision from January 4.
Accusing Bains and his party of “spreading misinformation”, Arora said: “The protest planned by LIP over the issue is a political stunt. Simarjit Bains is indulging in total falsehood and fabrication to mislead the people.”
Bains had earlier announced that the LIP’s ‘Saadi Panchayat, Saadi Zameen’ (our panchayat, our land) agitation will be launched from Bhamadi village near Khanna.
“The land belongs to panchayats and it is the only source of their income. The government doesn’t have any right to deny the village bodies that,” Bains had said.
Arora, however, pointed out that the scheme to create rural land banks was voluntary, and a matter of the panchayat’s choice.

“