Minister: Punjab Govt to probe land purchase for seed farm by SAD in 2008

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Amritsar, November 27

Agriculture Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal today said the AAP government would probe into the procurement of 700 acres of land by the SAD-BJP government in 2008 for setting up a seed farm near Rania border village.

He alleged that the land was procured at exorbitant prices by the Agriculture Department and Rs 8 crore were separately spent on the machinery and establishing 30 submersible tubewells and power lines.

He visited the site and expressed his anguish as it was lying redundant while the machinery also got rusted and damaged now. He said the land, which was located across the Ravi and the barbed fence near the International Border at Rania village, was procured at Rs 32 crore.

He said when the land was bought, Sucha Singh Langah was the Agriculture Minister and Kahan Singh Pannu was the Deputy Commissioner of Amritsar district. The land was purchased at Rs 4.5 lakh per acre. He said no one can enter the land without the prior permission of the BSF.

“I am saddened to see how public money had been wasted for this land, which became barren and the machinery isn’t in working condition,” he said while adding that he would bring the matter into the notice of CM Bhagwant Mann. He said cultivation on this land will be considered after coordinating with the Union Government and BSF authorities.