Panchayat land worth Rs 2500 crore grabbed

In what may turn out to be one of the biggest ever land scams in this region, about 2,870 acres of land located just on the boundary of Chandigarh has been usurped by influential people reportedly in connivance with some revenue officials of Punjab.
The prime land is currently valued in the open market at nearly Rs 2,500 crore and is considered a “financial goldmine” in real estate chandigarh circles. Located in the foothills of the Shivaliks, it is just a couple of kilometres away from Chandigarh in Karoran village and the adjoining areas of the newly carved Mohali District.
As per revenue record, the land was originally categorised as “shamlat deh khewat (common village land). Punjab Government revenue officials, in an unprecedented manner, firstly changed the category to “shamlat deh jur khewat”. Just a day after doing so, the land was divided amongst a few landowners of Karoran village through a mutation allowed by the Tehsildar.
A retired Kanungo, who is referred to as a “commission” in the mutation papers, is a witness to all this. No records exist to indicate how he was appointed as a “commission”.
Once the division of land was allowed, the shares of these landowners were soon purchased by the high and mighty of the region.
Last week, the controversial land was included in the nagar panchayat. This means the land, which should have been rightly owned by the panchayat, can now become the property of individuals.
Officials pointed out that common village lands are vested with the Panchayats under the Punjab Village Common Lands Regulation Act, 1961, and no ownership can be changed without meeting the criteria laid down in the Act.
Revenue experts, from whom this reporter got the relevant papers examined, said this entire process was faulty.

Source: //tribuneindia.com