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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Punjab land policy protests gain ground: Farm groups hold nukkad meetings, flag marches; BJP plans yatra
Bathinda: Despite Punjab govt's attempts to assure farmers that the Land Pooling Policy would benefit them, protests against the scheme continued to gain ground on Wednesday, with farm groups rallying support through marches in villages, and BJP announcing a yatra across the state from Aug 17. Activists of farm organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) and members of other unions affiliated to Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) held rallies in villages to drum up support for their protest in Samrala, Ludhiana, on Aug 24. Opposition parties are also taking on the AAP govt over the contentious policy. Farmers argued that the Punjab govt was not capable of collecting land on such a large scale with limited resources. "State govt is eyeing industry and feels the agriculture sector is stagnating. It feels the state could be taken towards prosperity by ensuring an industrial revolution, even though big industrial houses do not prefer Punjab. Farmers will not allow such designs of the govt. It wants to collect land by pulling Punjab away from agriculture, which is the mainstay of its economy, but we won't let it succeed," said BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) secretary Shingara Singh Mann. Before the call for a rally on Aug 24, SKM gave another action plan of protest on Aug 13. BJP has announced a 'Save Land, Save Farmers' yatra from Aug 17 to Sep 5, led by its state working president, Ashwani Sharma. The yatra will start from Patiala and pass through Malwa, Majha, and Doaba regions, and end in Pathankot on Sep 5. Another farm group, Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), announced a state-level mahapanchayat at Kukkar Pind, Jalandhar, on Aug 20 against the policy. KMM functionaries Sarwan Singh Pandher and Manjit Singh Rai said KMM would organise a motorcycle rally on Aug 11. Kukkar Pind is among six villages in Jalandhar where 1,000 acres has been notified under the policy. CM Bhagwant Mann has repeatedly said that land-pooling would be "100% voluntary" but anxiety over the scheme continues to grip farmers. AAL MLAs have been told to visit villages and dispel misgivings.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In Punjab, farmers organise peace marches, say no to war
Bathinda: The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday organised peace marches across Punjab. The SKM also warned the central govt about forcing the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to release more water to leaders said Punjab had no spare water and any conspiracy to "snatch" Punjab's water would be strongly opposed. The SKM will not shy away from holding a struggle against any such move, they the Pahalgam attack, wherein 26 persons were killed by Pakistan-backed terrorists, the SKM said terrorism in any form was condemned, but "war is not a solution", as it causes loss of many innocent lives. The farm leaders urged both India and Pakistan to end the stalemate through raising their voices for peace in the sub-continent, the farmer organisation BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) held peace and goodwill marches in several villages of Bathinda slogans "jung nahi aman (peace, not war)", the BKU activists highlighted the losses that war brings with (Ekta Ugrahan) district Bathinda chief Shingara Singh Mann and women wing coordinator Harinder Kaur Bindu said the people of Punjab were the biggest sufferers in case of any hostilities."We do not want war, even as we strongly condemn terrorism in any shape and the terrorist attack at Pahalgam where 26 innocents were killed," they said, adding that such goodwill marches would continue in the villages.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Farm forum halts land consolidation exercise over ownership dispute in Bathinda village
1 2 Bathinda: Farmer organisation BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) stopped an attempt by the district administration to launch a consolidation exercise to demarcate the entire landholding of Jeond village over ownership dispute on (Ekta-Ugrahan) leaders Jhanda Singh Jethuike and Shingara Singh Mann said that the district administration came prepared with police force and drones. They started the exercise, but when opposed, the officials stopped work and returned with the assurance that a meeting would be arranged with the Bathinda deputy commissioner on conflict between original owners (landlords) and 'mujaras' (tillers) concerns nearly 2,151 acres of land. While the landlords want a one-third share under the 'Ala Malik Adna Malik' Act prevalent in the early 1950s amounting to 717 acres, the tillers argue they have been tilling the land for the last 107 years and will not relinquish any part of farmer organisation supported the cultivators and decided to proceed along the lines of the Pepsu Mujara Lehar (movement for obtaining ownership rights for tenants) of the original owners approached the Punjab and Haryana high court. A bench, in its order on April 24, 2023, directed the authorities to complete the consolidation within six weeks. When it was not done, the petitioners filed a contempt of court petition on Dec 15, 2023. The court, in its order on Jan 8, 2025, directed the authorities to prepare and complete the revenue records, followed by the initiation of consolidation proceedings by Jan 30, 2025. It also directed that the secretary, department of revenue, Punjab, join the proceedings via video-conferencing on the fixed date. If unable to provide a justifiable explanation, an amount up to Rs1 lakh would be ordered to be paid from his/her own pocket as litigation cost to the petitioner for delaying the proceedings in the contempt petition, the court said. When the administration went for consolidation demarcation on Jan 20, 2025, the farmers opposed it, leading to a administration then prepared to conduct demarcation through drones to prepare 'murabbas' (a part of land measuring 25 acres) and further demarcate up to 1 acre or even less if there are more shareholders in the specified measurement of 120995260 413 |MSID:: 120995260 413 |
