Khap leaders of the 360 villages across the national capital have decided to hold a Mahapanchayat on Sunday, September 15 at 11 am, at the iconic Jantar Mantar, to push for their demands concerning the entire rural belt of Delhi.

The decision was taken by the pradhans at a meeting chaired by Palam 360 Khap Chief Chaudhary Surender Solanki at Bawana village, Solanki said on Friday.

Leader of the villages Solanki said the representatives and pradhans of the villages have decided to hold the Mahapanchayat in a more effective manner as compared to last year, to push the eleven major issues confronting the city’s rural belt.

He said that Khap leaders, including Chaudhary Dhara Singh, Pradhan of Bawana 52, Naresh Pradhan of Lado Sarai 96, Rao Tribhuvan Singh of Surehra 18, Suresh Shokeen, Pradhan of Nangloi 9, Sri Ram Yadav of Gumhanhera, H K Yadav from Jhuljhuli and Azad Shokeen from Mangolpur village, were present in the meeting.

Solanki said last year, after their Mahapanchayat, certain issues had been addressed by the government and the lieutenant governor. However, nothing is done on the remaining issues as of now.

The Khap leader, sending out a message to the residents and natives of the city’s villages, told them to come forward to join the Mahapanchayat and raise voices over the burning issues affecting the rural population of the city for long.

Chaudhary Solanki said the law implemented in Delhi is non-existent anywhere in the country. He demanded an amendment to the Delhi Land Reform (DLR) Act, stating that it was old and outdated.

He also claimed that the land of the city’s villages had been acquired at a very low price, and in return basic civic facilities had not been properly given to the villages, forcing the natives to live in a sorry state.

According to the Khap chief, their major demands include starting the Mutation of land, implementation of master plan 2041, and allotment of plots and agricultural land to the poor farmers under Section 74/4, which has been pending for a very long period, he claimed, adding that it has affected lives of the landless farmers.

The issues also include allotment of alternative plots against agricultural land which was acquired by the Delhi government, and several other civic problems being faced by the city’s villages due to the lack of appropriate basic infrastructure development, which has pushed the rural belt of the city into dire straits.

The Khap leaders have asked for a halt to the ongoing sealing drive in the villages, and also provide ownership rights under the ‘Swamitva Yojna.’

Solanki said in the name of urbanization, these villages no longer remain villages and are far from development works, which has worsened their condition like in slums.

Solanki has also raised the neglect of water bodies in the city, and mentioning the Sahibi River, he added the river has now become a drain, and nothing is being done to improve its condition.

He also pointed out that several villages in the city suffer from water logging issues, caused by drainage problems, even on days when there is no rain.