Facing a challenge to evict squatter from thousands of acres of panchayati and shamlat land in almost all districts of Haryana, the state government is now exploring the possibility of permitting continuance of the occupation of gram panchayati land to people who are in unauthorised possession of the land.
With panchayat polls due in state, the development assumes significance as the move may help the ruling BJP-JJP alliance to appease rural voters. Even as the officials of the panchayats and development department are not ready to talk over the issue but the matter came to light as the state government has filed a reply with the Punjab and Haryana high court that a policy is being framed for exploring the possibility of permitting continuance of the occupation of the panchayati land by the persons who are in unauthorised or illegal possession.
“There are large number of encroachments that have been effected where construction has been done and old structures are existing. The state, therefore wants six weeks’ time to finalise the said policy and till a decision is taken in this regard, the petitioners will not be disposed,” mentions the January 19 order of the Punjab and Haryana high court in a case related to illegal encroachment on panchayati land for which March 16 has been fixed as the next date of hearing.
As per the report filed by the state government with the court in a case of Dharambir Sharma versus State of Haryana and others, total 11,669 eviction petitions involving 9,855 acre are pending with the assistant collector first grade by December 2018. But by filing of the affidavit in September, 2019, possession of land measuring 835 acre have been delivered to the gram panchayats concerned, the government claimed.
In 3,583 cases, around 3,728 acre panchayati and shamlat land, including residential plots, were occupied despite eviction orders being issued. Maximum 558 acre panchayati and shamlat land were occupied illegally in Hisar district, followed by 543 acre in Panchkula, 500 acre in Yamunanagar, 365 acre in Ambala, 303 acre in Kurukshetra, and 295 acre in Jhajjar after the eviction orders were passed, till September 2019.
The government said the possession of 2,069 acre land has been delivered to gram panchayats from 2015 to 2019 in 1,003 cases.
Later in January 2021, in the same case, the state government told the HC that from October to December 2020, in 205 cases, possession of land measuring 300 acre has been delivered to the gram panchayats concerned and criminal proceedings in 40 cases have been initiated against people who were found in unauthorised occupation of the panchayati land.
Ramesh Chander Bidhan, director general, development and panchayats, Haryana denied having any information regarding formation of the policy to give possession of panchayati land to illegal occupants saying, “I am not aware about any such policy being framed as I am on election duty in Uttar Pradesh.”
On delay in eviction of illegal occupants from panchayati lands, he said eviction of illegal occupants is an ongoing process and in some cases, it got delayed as the eviction is carried out only after the court orders. The possession is taken after eviction orders are passed but the process of execution starts only after the eviction orders are issued.
Link: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/eviction-of-illegal-occupants-from-panchayati-land-remains-a-challenge-in-haryana-101643658634713.html
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