Ownership rights of houses of weaker section on 'common' land

Chandigarh, Sep 5 (UNI) The Punjab government has already intiated steps to give ownership rights to those Scheduled Caste or other weaker section families who had built houses on 'shamlat' (common) land in the villages.

This information was given in the state assembly during Question Hour by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal while replying to a querry by Iqbal Singh Jhundan (Ind).

The member wanted to know whether there was any proposal under government consideration to transfer Panchayat land at prescribed government rates in the names of persons who had encroached upon it.

Replying to the question, Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Ranjit Singh Brahmapura made it clear that there was no such proposal under consideration.

At this juncture, the Chief Minister intervened to tell the House that ownership rights had already been confirmed on a number of families of weaker sections who had built houses on common village land. " Those who have been living in these houses for the last 15 to 20 years are being given ownership rights", he told the assembly.

Replying to another question by Ajit Singh Shant (Cong) on the expenditure being incured on the daily diet of prison inmates lodged in the jails in the state and the steps taken to check the quality of food being provide, Jails Minister Hira Singh Gabria assured the House that the government was committed to provide better facilities to prisoners.

The Minister said that a sum of Rs 3,56,000 was being incurred on an average on 16,000 prisoners per day as food charges. Raw material for kitchens is inspected by gazetted officers of the jail and the cooked food is inspected by the jail superintendents or their deputies and the medical officer of the concerened prison, he added.

The Minister informed the House that Rs 200 crore had been earmarked this year for upgrading old jails and in addition the government had planned to construct two new prisons.

UNI HS MMS1849