Open violation of laws: Hills flattened, forests cut, Khair trees felled in Mirzapur
Land mafia cutting hills and forests in Mirzapur to sell illegal plots and farmhouses
5 Dariya News
Chandigarh 01-Mar-2026
Flouting all kinds of laws and court orders, and allegedly in collusion with officials of the Revenue Department, Forest Department, Wildlife Protection, Panchayat & Rural Development, GMADA, Mining, Police and other departments, the land mafia is leveling hills in Village Mirzapur under Majri Block of Kharar Assembly constituency.
Forests are being cut, prohibited Khair trees are being felled, and natural seasonal rivulets (“choes”) are being filled with soil and diverted. Illegal roads have been constructed for vehicular movement, and land, plots, forests, and farmhouses are being sold unlawfully by erecting iron fencing.
These allegations were made by the Panchayat members and residents of Village Mirzapur, who specially called Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party State Media Head Vineet Joshi, to the village for redressal of their grievances. BJP Majri Mandal President Mohit Gautam was also present on the occasion.
Village Numberdar Krishan Chand, Panch Sher Singh, Panch Nirmal Singh, Panch Pati Rakha Ram, Panch Pati Pala Ram, and former Sarpanch Husn Chand alias Makhan stated that the land being sold is “Mushtarka Malkan” (joint ownership land), meaning it is jointly owned by multiple shareholders. It has approximately 500 shareholders, and no formal partition (division) has taken place so far.
Government records do not clearly specify which shareholder owns which portion. In such a situation, how can possession be taken merely on the basis of an alleged purchase from a single shareholder without proper partition? They stated that partition is carried out by the Revenue Department in the presence of the Patwari, Kanungo, Tehsildar, and SDM to identify each shareholder’s share, which has not yet been done.
They further stated that the Collector had issued a status quo order dated March 5, 2019, under which neither sale-purchase of the land nor cutting of trees, plants, or wild vegetation on the hill is permitted, and even excavation with JCB machines is prohibited. Then how is the land mafia carrying out these activities?
The Panchayat and villagers said they have submitted complaints multiple times to the SHO, DSP, DIG, DGP Punjab, BDPO, Tehsildar, and DC, but no action has been taken. Copies of complaints submitted in previous years were also shown.
According to the villagers, the land mafia openly claims to have “setting” with all officials and that no one can harm him. The inaction by the police and civil administration has further strengthened this belief among the villagers.
In the end, Vineet Joshi assured the Panchayat that just as he had earlier saved thousands of houses in Nayagaon Municipal Council from demolition and got illegal mining stopped in Majri Block, he would, along with the villagers, launch an agitation to stop the illegal sale of land, plots, forests, and farmhouses in Village Mirzapur.
On the occasion, Narata Ram—who had filed a writ petition in the High Court to stop the cutting of forests and hills—Mushtarka Malkan shareholder Puran Chand, Surinder Kumar, Kuldeep Singh Bhattal, former Panch Charan Das, Hemraj, Lakhbir Singh, Lala Ram, Gopi, and others were also present.