Justice for evicted farmers sought

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 17

Farmers today demanded implementation of the Himachal Pradesh Conferment of Proprietary Rights on Government Land Scheme, 2017, to save small and marginal growers from the ongoing eviction drive. They also sought justice for farmers evicted from their land. The scheme was approved by the Cabinet today.

Sources said the Forest Department had evicted over 6,447 persons under the HP Premises Act and 967 persons under the HP Land Revenue Act, so far. In all these cases, the evicted persons were small and marginal farmers who possessed less than 10 bighas. The department evicted 865 persons with more than 10 bighas during the eviction drive.

The scheme was proposed by a high-powered committee after the Vidhan Sabha passed a resolution on August 8, 2015. It stated the government was committed to take legal action against encroachment on its land, adding it was also sensitive towards the welfare of small and marginal farmers, landless, homeless, poor and backward sections of society. — TNS