Won’t let dera land leaseholders be uprooted, will protect their land at all costs, assures Capt Amarinder Singh
5 Dariya News
Patiala , 26 Jan 2017
Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder has assured the leaseholders of the PEPSU dera properties that they would not be uprooted from their land, and full protection would be provided to them by the next Congress government in the state, by bringing in a legislation if needed.Describing it as a matter of genuine concern, Captain Amarinder said an amicable and permanent solution would be worked out to the problem arising out of the High Court ruling on such leased properties.Promising to find a solution with the dera mahants taken into confidence, the Punjab Congress president said he would make sure that the leaseholders are not deprived of their homes and houses for no fault of theirs. He assured them that they would have no cause for worry once the Congress government takes over in the state.In the erstwhile PEPSU area of Punjab, kings used to donate land to Sants and Mohants of deras, who, in turn, would give it out on 99-year lease to the general public to generate funds to run and manage the deras.
However, leasing of land by deras was banned in 1980 through the formation of a Dharam Arth Board by the Punjab government. The worst affected, said Captain Amarinder in a statement on Thursday, are those who took land on lease before 1980, as a High Court ruling has rendered all dera land leases null and void. The leaseholders, who have developed their leased land and even built houses and factories on it in the past 60-70 years, are in a state of panic following the HC ruling, which threatens to dispossess them of the leased land.The Mohants have gone to the Supreme Court against the HC ruling and the apex court has given a stay in the matter but its final orders are yet to come, raising apprehensions among the leaseholders about the possible outcome. The leaseholders are living in perpetual dread of a final Supreme Court verdict upholding the High Court order and divesting them of their lease rights.
With 60% of the people living on leased land in Patiala, the issue threatens to disrupt the lives of a large section of the region’s population, said Captain Amarinder, adding that the affected people would need to be provided all possible legal protection from the state government to save their homes and businesses.Pointing out that the people had been settled on the leased land for decades, Captain Amarinder said it was the state government’s duty to protect their rights and he would ensure the same through all legal measures, including a special legislation, once his government assumes power in the state.