Land for SYL canal transferred back to farmers: Majithia

Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia today said the land acquired for Sutlej- Yamuna-Link (SYL) canal project has been transferred back to the farmers free of charge through mutations after the state Cabinet decided to denotify it.
Lauding state revenue officials for implementing the Cabinet's decision in this regard, he said Punjabis owed a debt of gratitude to the revenue officials of Mohali, Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahab and Ropar districts for working with breakneck speed to turn the Cabinet decision into realty.
"As of today all land acquired for construction of SYL canal which had been denotified by the state cabinet, has been transferred back to the original farmers free of charge through mutations," the minister said.

Majithia said 4,261 acres of land in 202 villages of the four districts has been transferred back to 21,511 farmers.
In Ropar, 1,468 acres has been transferred back to 5,180 owners across 91 villages. In Fatehgarh Sahib, 552 acres has been transferred back to 2,031 owners of 35 villages, he said.
In Mohali, 791 acres of land has been transferred back to 1,323 owners of 16 villages. In Patiala district, 1,450 acres of land had been transferred back to 5774 owners in 60 villages, the minister said.

"Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had promised that SYL canal will never be constructed. By successfully transferring land back to the farmers we have proved that we do not make empty proclamations like Congress whose state leaders have been sympathising with the farmers, even as their party high command has always sided with Haryana on SYL issue," he said.

Punjab Cabinet on November 15 had announced to denotify the land acquired for the SYL project and return it to "original land owners of their lineal descendants/ legal representatives" free of charge.
Political temperatures have risen in Punjab after Supreme Court held as "unconstitutional" the 2004 law passed by Punjab to terminate the SYL canal water sharing agreement with Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh.