Punjab to give ownership rights of 'sarkari' land to tillers

Chandigarh. Aug 16 (UNI) The Punjab Government has decided to give ownership rights of 42,000 acres of agricultural government land in the 'bet' belt (along rivers) in the state to tillers.

Though the government is yet to take a decision on the cut off date, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today stated the ownership rights would be give to those families who had been tilling the land for the last 25 to 30 years.

Scheduled Caste and Backward Class families would be given this land at a marginal rate of Rs 12,000 per acre while for the general category this price would be Rs 15,000, Mr Badal told mediapersons here.

He however made it clear only that land, would be considered for which is not under dispute allotment. The claimaints must also possess the necessary records, he added while elaborating on his announcement made on Independence Day yesterday.

UNI