Badal seeks removal of restrictions in Kandi belt

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today urged Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar to remove restrictions imposed in the Kandi belt, the semi-hilly region of the state.
Badal informed Javadekar that the Kandi belt covering about 56000 acres comprise of cultivable and forest land in districts of Rupnagar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur was under habitation and farming since centuries.
"In 2006, the Union ministry of environment and forests imposed some restrictions on farmers/habitants of Kandi region on their bonafide land which is making it difficult for them to live a dignified life," he said.
After listening to the difficulties of Kandi area residents, the minister assured the Badal that a meeting in this regard with the concerned officers would be convened shortly and state government representatives would be invited so that the entire issue could be examined holistically.