The Government of Punjab has shown a new resolve to address the problem of encroachments on state land. The province's Colonies Minister, Manzar Ali Ranjha, told a press conference on Thursday that a comprehensive strategy is being evolved to have the state land vacated from illegal occupants.
Towards that end, he disclosed, a provincial authority is being set up, which would also arrange the sale of retrieved land and pursue the legal aspects of the issue in different courts of law.
So far as the retrieval of land is concerned the measure can only be welcomed. The magnitude of the problem becomes clear from the minister's disclosure that out of the total state land area of 1,081,051 acres, 272,662 acres are under illegal occupation.
This is after the retrieval of some 147,321 acres during January-December 2003 and another 671,233 acres earlier on.
Another 29,788 acres out of a total of 72,052 acres of land that falls under the head of 'charagah' (meadow), too, is in the hands of illegal occupants.
In addition, large tracts of Railways' property and river embankments have been taken over by slum dwellers.
This particular practice poses problems of its own. At some point, the Railways may need to have that land in order to expand its network of tracks or to build some other facility, but it will not be easily available.
Dwellings on the banks of rivers, streams, and even major drainage systems, are known to cause pollution and soil erosions, exposing these areas to the hazards of flooding.
The problem of encroachments, in fact, is not peculiar to Punjab. A lot of state land, including prime real estate, in all the provinces is in the illegal possession of either influential individuals or it has simply been taken over by homeless people to build slum dwellings.
Wittingly or unwittingly, government departments encourage these illegal settlements when they extend utilities connections to them.
So far as the provision of water and sanitation facilities to such habitations is concerned, it can be justified for public health reasons, but there is no excuse for supplying them with gas and electricity.
The provision of utilities to unauthorised settlements, in fact, confers a quasi legitimacy on them.
That, though, is not to say that the government is not responsible for looking after the basic needs of the less advantaged members of society.
But that it should address the issue in a way it does not lead to a haphazard growth of already over-populated cities or difficulties of a different nature.
A better solution would be for the government to look for suitable land to be allotted to the homeless and agricultural land to landless peasants in an organised manner.
It is good to note that the Punjab government is already thinking along these lines.
It has decided to allot five-marla residential plots to ordinary homeless people as well as government employees in different districts.
And to make sure that such plots are not misused, it has been decided that the allottees would not be able to transfer the ownership of their plots for a period of 10 years.
It also plans to distribute 112,714 acres of land to those people who own less than four acres of land.
Commendably, it is to help these small farmers in the procurement of seeds, fertilisers and agricultural machinery so that they can make productive use of their new acquisition.
It remains to be seen, though, how equitably the plan is implemented.
The idea of putting all the retrieved land on sale does not sound right. As the minister disclosed, already a lot of government land has been put under the auction hammer.
If all the available public land is to be sold away, soon not much will be left for future developmental projects, forests and meadows.
The Punjab government would, therefore, be well advised to avoid thinking of the word 'sell' in this context and refrain from it as far as possible.
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