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The Public Action Committee (PAC) looking after the environmental issues of Sutlej, Mattewara and Buddha Dariya Friday visited the Mattewara area of Ludhiana and took stock of the alleged encroachments on government land. This part of the land was earlier earmarked for the now-cancelled Mattewara textile park. Punjab Government withdrew the project in July 2022 due to stiff opposition from PAC and the public.
The PAC alleged that nearly 500 acres of land that have a potato seed research farm and other research centres are being used for farming by unknown people. Hence it seems the land is being encroached upon on a large scale, said Jaskirat Singh from PAC.
A total of 955 acres of land was acquired for the textile park in 2020 during the previous Congress government and at that time AAP leaders including the now CM Bhagwant Mann and speaker Kultar Sandhwan had protested against the project leading from the front. However, soon after coming into power, the Mann government was all set to bring this project as CM himself presented it in the Vidhan Sabha session held in June last year but following opposition from environmental activists, the government had to step back.
The committee members said that the boundary walls of research centres had been demolished and farming is being done on a large scale. They blamed the government for “sleeping over the issue despite the fact that PAC has written to the CM, Ludhiana deputy commissioner and others” in the past.
Dilbagh Singh, Bharatiya Kisan Union Charuni state president, pointed out that the rest 455 acres of land lies in Sekhewal village panchayat where farming was already been done for over 40 years.
The land comes under the Greater Ludhiana Area and Development Authority (GLADA).
“Hence we will be protesting outside the office of GLADA on Ferozepur road on July 10 if the government does not wake up,” said Lakha Sidhana who joined PAC members.
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