Hoshiarpur villagers vow to oppose land pooling policy

Shergarh and Purhiran villages have installed posters, mentioning that AAP leaders won’t be allowed to enter the villages until the land pooling policy is revoked

Farmers of Shergarh and Purhiran villages in Hoshiarpur district on Monday held a meeting in Purhiran under the aegis of the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha during which leaders said they would oppose the state government’s land pooling policy. Morcha member Harbans Singh Sangha said a tractor march would be taken out from Purhiran to the mini secretariat on July 30. Farmers also said that they would join a rally to be organised in Mullanpur on August 24.

Farmers protesting against the land pooling policy in Amritsar. Such protests are being witnessed across the state. (Sameer Sehgal /HT)

Bhartiya Kisan Union (Doaba) president Manjit Singh Rai said not an inch of land would be given to the government. “The government wants to rob the farmers of their fertile land to feed land sharks. We will not let anyone deprive us of our source of livelihood,” said Rai, who also owns land in Purhiran.

Meanwhile, both villages have installed posters, mentioning that AAP leaders won’t be allowed to enter the villages until the land pooling policy is revoked.

Shergarh sarpanch Mohan Lal said the state government had proposed to acquire around 550 acres of fertile land falling in Purhiran and Shergarh which would affect around 100 owners. He claimed that each farmer was ready to submit an affidavit mentioning that he was not interested in the government’s scheme.

“The land is so fertile that we grow three to four crops a year. We do not want to part with it,” he added.