Cabinet skips RIL issue, CM discusses matter with Dullo

Chandigarh, May 31 (UNI) The proposed land deal between the Punjab Government and the Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), which raised a lot of hue and cry even within the ruling Congress in the state, did not come up at the Punjab cabinet meeting held here today.

The CM had stated last week that the state cabinet would soon give its nod to the signing of the land deals with RIL in the agri-business sector, which would be highly beneficial to the farmers.

Highly placed official sources told UNI here that the government had been advised by senior state officials that the transfer of 20 acres of the Punjab Mandi Board's land in Mohali to the RIL would not be legally viable as it could be challenged in a court of Law.

''The government has been advised against the land deal between the Mandi Board and Reliance, looking at the legal compications,'' a senior official here said on the condition of anonimity.

It was learnt that a proposal for an ordinance to overcome the legal complications for the Mandi Board land's transfer to the RIL has been put down for the time being.

Immediately after the cabinet meeting, the Punjab chief minister held a separate meeting with some of his ministers and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Shamsher Singh Dullo at Punjab Bhawan.

Capt Singh later told reporters that nothing has been finalised on the RIL issue so far. He said the farmers would not be let down as they would get remunerative prices for their land.

Mr Dullo told reporters after the meeting that the land, either of the Punjab Mandi Biard or belonging to the rural bodies, could not be given to the Reliance at a throwaway price.

It was learnt that Mr Dullo had advocated in the meeting for the remunerative market price for the land holdings which were at stake for being transferred to the RIL.

The RIL issue came into the limelight last month when senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar raised his voice against the erstwhile proposal of the state government to give the Punjab Mandi Board's Mohali land to RIL at a mere price of Rs two crore.

Mr Brar, being at the loggerheads with the chief minsiter on the issue, had to face a wrath from several ministers and the PPCC chief, who wrote to the Congress high command for discplinary action against him.

The Congress high command, in turn, has diercted the chief minister to soon decide on the RIL issue as this was being utilised by the opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the state.

SAD's ally BJP had stated that it would move a court through a PIL aganst the proposed land deal with RIL.

UNI PS VKJ VD VV1722