E-Paper
Villagers protest ‘forcible’ acquisition of land at Sekhowal
They alleged the sarpanch’s signatures were forcibly taken for acquisition of the panchayat land, where the state government has proposed to establish an industrial park
Residents of Sekhowal village on Friday staged a protest against the state government and district administration, alleging administrative high-handedness.
The protesters claimed that the administration and police forcibly took the sarpanch, Amrik Kaur, and a few others to the sub-tehsil office, Koom Kalan, on Thursday evening, and forced them to give consent for acquisition of 407 acres.
They alleged the sarpanch’s signatures were forcibly taken for acquisition of the panchayat land, where the state government has proposed to establish an industrial park.
The villagers claimed they will not let go of the land as it was the source of income of around 70 families of the village, adding that they will protest till the government rolls back the decision to acquire the panchayat land.
The state government has proposed to establish the industrial park on 1,000 acres in Haidar Nagar, Sekhowal, Salempur, Sailkiana and Machian Kalan villages.
“I, along with former sarpanch Dhir Singh and panchayat member Khjaan Singh, were taken to the sub-tehsil office on Thursday evening after office hours. When the authorities started forcing us, we raised a protest. We will not let the government acquire the panchayat land. The gram sabha of the village already approved a resolution regarding this on July 21,” said sarpanch Amrik Kaur.
Former sarpanch Dhir Singh said, “Now, we are left with no option but to move court, as the government is not paying heed to our concerns.”
On his part, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Ludhiana East, Baljinder Singh Dhillon said, “No one was forced for anything. The sarpanch was asked to visit the office so that she could be apprised of the project. The industrial park is beneficial for the village and its residents and we are working to make them aware about this.”
Supporting the villagers’ cause, AAP leader Pardeep Singh Khalsa said the party will stand by the villagers and oppose acquisition of the land, as it will also cause damage to the adjacent Mattewara forest.
