The Punjab government on Monday said it will continue its drive to remove illegal occupants from Panchayat (village council) lands.

Sharing information after a meeting with 23 farmers’ organisations at Punjab Bhawan today, rural development and panchayats minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal said the interests of poor and small farmers would be fully protected by the government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

At the same time, he said that the Punjab government was removing illegal occupants from the Panchayat lands only after completing the legal process. At the same time, he made it clear that no one’s house would be demolished.

At the request of the farmer leaders, the minister issued directions to the officers of the department to ensure that 15 days notice is served before removing illegal encroachments from panchayat lands.

He said if any illegal occupier wants to present any document in his favor, he can give it to the district development and panchayat officer, which will be thoroughly examined.

Dhaliwal said the appeal by the CM to relinquish illegal possession of Panchayat lands was getting a good response. After consensus with the farmer leaders. He said people could voluntarily relinquish possession of the Panchayat land by 30 June, after which action would be initiated. The minister also clarified that the agriculture panchayat land from which illegal occupation is being removed, the department is giving the present occupier priority to get that land on lease.

Dhaliwal said so far paperwork has been completed to remove illegal occupants from 8000 acres of Panchayat lands. These are the lands whose cases have been lost by the squatters in all the courts. He further said that so far illegal occupation of 2600 acres of Panchayat land has been released.

The minister also assured that the interests of small and poor farmers would be protected. He said that a joint nine-member committee of government officials and representatives of farmer organisations would be formed to identify the farmers who turned baron land to cultivation. He also said to provide relief in such cases if required the matter would be taken up in the Punjab Assembly.

In another announcement, the minister said after 10 June, a campaign would be launched to remove illegal occupants from the commercial Panchayat lands.

He said the paperwork was being completed to carry out this task and this campaign would be launched in the adjoining villages of big cities like Mohali, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Jalandhar to remove illegal occupation of Panchayat lands.