CHANDIGARH, September 28— The Punjab government has approved tough new measures to curb land encroachment, ensuring that village panchayats and residents regain control of their traditional rights over common property.
The state cabinet on Saturday cleared amendments to the Punjab Village Common Land Rules, 1964, aimed at preventing builders and colonizers from illegally occupying village land, blocking canals, or cutting off pathways. Officials said the changes were introduced after years of complaints from rural communities that their collective resources were being exploited.
“Colonizers will no longer be able to deprive villagers of their rights,” Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said. “If anyone encroaches upon common land, old pathways, or canals, they will now pay four times the collector rate as penalty. Half of that amount will go directly into the panchayat account, while the rest will be deposited with the state government.”
Cheema noted that the new rules go beyond monetary fines. Colonizers found guilty of encroachment must also build alternative roads and waterways at their own cost. “The direct benefit will go to villagers, and this will empower panchayats financially as well as socially,” he said.
Punjab’s rural landscape has long been defined by its fertile fields, network of canals, and Shamlat land — common village property that belongs to the community as a whole. Over decades, however, many of these lands have been illegally occupied by powerful builders and colonizers. In several areas, village pathways disappeared and canals were diverted, leaving panchayats weaker and residents stripped of their rights.
A survey conducted by the Panchayat Department in 2022 found that more than 100 acres of common land had been encroached upon across Punjab, with at least 85 private colonies altering water channels and traditional access routes. Officials said the new amendment would address such encroachments more effectively and restore the authority of local bodies.
Until now, funds raised from selling such land were placed in fixed deposits, with panchayats having limited scope for spending. The revised rules are designed to change that. The penalties collected will not only provide financial resources but also ensure that essential infrastructure like roads and canals remain secure and functional for villagers.
“This is a much-needed decision,” said an official in the Rural Development Department. “Villagers had been losing their traditional pathways and water sources. Now, the government has made it clear that protecting their rights is a priority.”
At a time when encroachments are seen as a growing threat to Punjab’s villages, the amendments signal both financial and social relief. For communities that depend on common land for access, water, and collective prosperity, the move brings renewed hope and stronger safeguards for the future.
