State Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal today ordered a probe into encroachments on all panchayat lands and launched a special drive across the state to remove encroachments from all panchayat lands. Charing a high level meeting with additional deputy commissioners and district development and panchayat officer at Vikas Bhawan here today, Minister has set a target of removing encroachments from 5,000 acres of panchayat land within a month by 31st May, 2022 in the first phase under this special drive.
The Minister for Rural Development and Panchayats also issued an order for videography to ensure open transparent annual auction of agriculture panchayat land from this year. Minister categorically said that strict action will be initiated against erring officials if anyone found involved in giving favours to a person during the auction process. The minister further directed to conduct an investigation to ascertain the drastically falling down of annual auction rates of some panchayat lands and said that action will be taken against the officials found responsible for it. Kuldeep Dhaliwal directed the officials to take swift action to install tubewells on the panchayat lands and district/block officials shall personally ensure completion of the process immaculately.
Taking another significant decision, Kuldeep Dhaliwal said, "All ongoing cases in District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO) courts shall be disposed of within three months and no case should remain pending afterwards," minister said adding that a departmental action to be initiated against officials for violation of this order. In order to make the state green, the minister also asked panchayat officials to plant 500 saplings in each village across the state. In this meeting, among others, Financial Commissioner, Rural Development & Panchayats K. Shiva Prasad, Director Rural Development Gurpreet Singh Khaira, Joint Development Commissioner T.P.S. Phoolka besides senior officials of the Rural Development Department, Additional Deputy Commissioners of all the districts and District Development and Panchayat Officers were also present.