Government Reissues Orders to Probe Alleged Encroachments on Shamilat (Village Common) Lands
* Government seeks report from Vigilance Chief following Society’s allegations
* Demand raised for action against a former official as well
Mohali, August 19: Despite the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab claiming to have removed illegal encroachments from *Shamilat* lands, alleged encroachments on such lands persist. One such case has surfaced in Mohali district, involving a prominent politician and builder accused of encroaching upon *Shamilat* land worth crores of rupees, amidst allegations that attempts were made to suppress an impartial investigation.
Addressing a press conference at the Mohali Press Club today, Avtar Nagla, Chairman of the Village Common Land Protection Society, and former *Patwari* Sukhvinder Pal leveled serious allegations against a well-known builder and former MLA, N.K. Sharma. They accused him of illegal encroachment and misuse of government *Shamilat* land—specifically 5 *bighas* and 5 *biswas* in village Gazipur and 13 *kanals* in village Bhankharpur—and demanded a fair inquiry. Society Chairman Avtar Nagla stated that the organization had lodged a complaint with the Vigilance Commission and other government bodies on January 21, 2022. Subsequently, a detailed complaint was submitted to the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) on March 3, 2024.
According to Nagla, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had issued orders on June 6, 2024, for the Vigilance Bureau to investigate the matter following these complaints. He alleged that despite the then-vigilance officials being aware of these orders, the complaint was shelved. He noted that after the Society persistently pursued the matter in the public interest, the Punjab government issued a memorandum on August 14, 2024, directing the new Vigilance Bureau Chief, Sharad Satya Chauhan, to investigate the case and submit a report. Meanwhile, former Patwari Sukhwinder Pal stated that the primary objective of their organization is to protect common areas and *Shamlat* (village common) lands. However, in the Tricity area, the Panchayat Department is evicting long-term residents from such high-value land, while wealthy individuals and builders continue to encroach upon these *Shamlat* lands. A prominent example involves approximately four acres of land held by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in Lohgarh village.
Avtar Nagla and former Patwari Sukhwinder Pal welcomed the Chief Minister’s decision and urged the new Vigilance Chief to conduct a fair and transparent investigation into the matter. The society announced plans to meet the Vigilance Chief as a delegation soon to present the documentary evidence in their possession. Additionally, the society demanded action against former Vigilance Chief Varinder Kumar, claiming that despite government-level orders for an investigation, no effective action was taken for a long time. They also questioned the performance of the Lokpal regarding this issue.
**What the builder and former MLA Sharma has to say:**
Meanwhile, when contacted over the phone, builder and former MLA N.K. Sharma stated that the complainants are habitual filers of false complaints and are blackmailers. He mentioned that he had even lodged a case against them at the Zirakpur police station for filing false complaints. He asserted that he had not encroached upon even a fraction of the *Shamlat* land and categorically denied the aforementioned allegations.