Activists urge Punjab CM to probe 10-acre shamlat land lease to trust registered at minister’s address

JALANDHAR: Three activists have sent a complaint to Punjab chief minister and chief director of Punjab Vigilance Bureau to probe how and why the panchayat of Balongi village in Mohali district was forced to give over 10 acres of shamlaat (village common land) land on 33-year lease for running a gaushala to a society registered at residential address of health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu and his brother Amarjeet Singh Sidhu, who is mayor of Mohali municipal corporation (MC).
They have said they would move Punjab and Haryana high court if the state government failed to initiate any probe in the case. Attaching a letter reportedly written by block development and panchayat officer of Kharar with their complaint to CM Amarinder Singh and VB chief director, activists Parvinder Singh Kitna, advocate Hakam Singh Brar and Kuldeep Singh Khaira have said the letter showed that village sarpanch and panchayat were pressured and threatened with some action in case the panchayat would not get a lease deed registered with the trust.
They have also sent copies of election affidavit filed by the minister and a letter by Mohali MC to show the trust has been registered at the same address as the residence of minister. The trust’s name is ‘Bal Gopal Gau Basera Welfare Society’, and 10 acres, 40 kanals and one marla land has been given to it on a 33-year lease by the panchayat. “To give valuable land to a trust registered at minister’s and Mohali mayor’s residential address raises questions. It is also possible that family members or others near to the minister of Mohali mayor might have formed the society.
We demand that a time-bound VB probe be ordered to know the members of the society and if the method used to give the land on lease to the society is according to the law. If rules have been violated, action should be taken against the guilty. In case you fail to take any action on our complaint, we shall be constrained to move Punjab and Haryana high court,” their complaint reads.
The letter written by Kharar BDPO to Balongi sarpanch on August 7 last year reads: Financial commissioner, “Village development and panchayat department, on March 11, 2020, had approved 33-year lease to Bal Gopal Gau Basera Welfare Society, registered at House no 2222, Phase 7, Mohali. It was written (to panchayat) to get lease registered till August 6, 2020, as per (approved) conditions of lease deed; but, despite such a long time, you have not complied.
Now you are being given last chance to get the lease deed registered till August 13, 2020, or it would be presumed that you are violating directions of the government and it would written to higher authorities for action against you.” When asked about the letter, Kharar BDPO Hiten Kapila said he wrote according to rules as it was the panchayat which started the process by passing a resolution to give land to the society and once it was approved by the government it was obligatory on the panchayat to register lease deed. The land is situated near the cremation ground of Mohali.