CM replies to letter by Gadkari -

-Says land is like mother for Punjabi farmers

-Asserts that agriculture is the primary livelihood of farmers

-Demands genuine price of land for the farmers

-Says officers holding parleys with farmers for completion of NHAI projects

-Blames NHAI contractors for sorry state of affairs in projects

Chandigarh, 13 August 2024 : Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Tuesday said that the state Government is committed to support NHAI and work closely with it for the progress of the Country and the State.

In a letter to Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, the Chief Minister said that state government fully understands the importance of NHAI projects, both for the country and the State adding that the Punjab government is committed for speedy execution of these projects. He said that the State Government has been proactively supporting NHAI in land acquisition and other related matters. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this is the reason, that barring a few exceptions, most of the NHAI projects in the State are on track.

The Chief Minister said that in both the cases referred by Gadkari, the local Police promptly registered FIRs under relevant provisions of law. Further, he said that in both these cases, arrests have been made adding that during investigation it has been found that one incident was the outcome of over excavation of land by NHAI concessionaire/contractor. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the second incident was the outcome of non-payment of financial dues by the concessionaire/contractor to its sub-contractor adding that both the cases stemmed from causes attributable to concessionaire/contractor.

The Chief Minister said that irrespective of all this, Punjab Police, being one of the finest forces, is committed to take care of safety concerns of NHAI adding that he has already directed the local Police to deploy patrolling teams in the area to maintain law and order. He said that as far as land acquisition related issues are concerned, the Union Minister must appreciate that farmers of the State are deeply attached to their land, as it is their prized possession, being their main source of livelihood. Further, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that land prices in Punjab are on the higher side so farmers are reluctant to part with their lands, if they feel that the compensation is not adequate.

The Chief Minister said that there are a number of cases in which the farmers were satisfied with the awards given by the Arbitrators and were willing to hand over the possession of their lands to NHAI at the awarded rates. However, he bemoaned that NHAI chose to challenge the Arbitrator’s award or took inordinately long time in accepting the award due to which acquisition process was delayed. Bhagwant Singh Mann unequivocally said that there are a number of cases in which possession of land was given to NHAI, but its contractors took a long time in mobilizing their machinery and starting the work due to which the farmers started cultivating the land again.

The Chief Minister said that Once the State authorities have given the possession of land to NHAI, it is the duty of NHAI or its contractors to maintain the possession. He apprised the Union Minister that on his directions, Chief Secretary is already holding regular review meetings with the Deputy Commissioners and NHAI to resolve the bottienecks being faced by NHAI. In addition, Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he personally plans to engage with the farmers on this issue.