Govt to auction panchayat land for mining: Minister
Wednesday, 10/01/2018
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CHANDIGARH: Rural development and panchayat minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa said it has come to the notice of the government that illegal sand mining still rampant on the banks of Sutlej and Ravi.
He said the land, where illegal mining is taking place, will be auctioned for mining which will generate revenue of ₹100 crore. The government will go in for open bidding for mining at the suitable panchayat lands in order to increase the income. The rural development and panchayat department has identified 3,000 acres of such land near Sutlej and Ravi, he said while talking to reporters here.
To permanently end the problem of “spoil heap” (hadda rori) in villages, the government proposes to set up three rendering plants on the PPP mode for disposing of animal carcasses in a scientific way. The plants would come up in Patiala, Amritsar and Ludhiana.
Listing another project, the minister said the panchayat department would encourage planting of saplings under agroforestry and utilise panchayat land in semi-hill and kandi areas.
Under the scheme, the department has identified 1 lakh acres. More than 50 lakh saplings will be planted on 35,000 acres in the first year under MGNREGA. The department also proposed to give 10,000 acres on long lease to make its optimum use for agro-forestry and other allied agricultural occupations such as fish farming and bee keeping.
