Farmers protest against acquisition of their land for small industrial state

Mandi Bahauddin (Sher Gondal) : Farmers belonging to villages of Kuthiala Syedan, Khewa, Baga Pump and adjoining localities, the other day staged a demonstration at Mandi Bahauddin – Malakwal Road near their villages against a proposal of government to acquire their land measuring 100 Acre for the establishment of small industrial estate. They blocked the road, suspending the traffic for hours and shouted slogans against Federal Minister for industries. They said earlier the government acquired their 20 Acre agricultural land for dumping garbage and now the government was acquiring more than 100 Acre land for setting up small industrial estate. They said this meant the government was bent upon to snatch their land that is the only source of their income. They demanded of government to withdraw decision of land acquisition otherwise they would hold ‘sit in’ at DC office. They also pointed out that about twenty five years back the government acquired about 50 acre land at very low price, for setting up low income housing scheme near Pindi Bahauddin village which later on was turned into plots. After selling plots at higher rates, the government abandoned development of the scheme. This way the government on one hand deprived the farmers of the land and on the other hand buyers of plots were also deprived of their hard earned cash as the scheme has not yet been developed over the last twenty five years. The farmers condemned government for its anti farmers policies and vowed to prefer dying to surrendering their land to government for the use of traders who already had been sucking blood of the poor by selling their products at exorbitant rates. Instead of bringing fertile land under industrial schemes, land in hilly area lying across the river Jhelum and Pabbi terrain in Tehsil Kharian that is about 9 KM away for Mandi city should be earmarked for establishment of industrial estate, they suggested.