Moga, June 8
The state has empowered the District Development and Panchayat Officers (DDPOs) to adjudicate upon the issues related to “Jumla Mustarka Malkan” land, which falls under the category of common land in villages. Until now, the civil courts were looking into these matters.
The new directions issued by the Rural Development and Panchayats Department on May 27 would pave the way for speedy restoration of common land from encroachers. Since 2011, the DDPOs had been enjoying the powers of a Collector to hear and decide the cases pertaining to village common land. On April 7, the SC had ordered that all pending cases under Section 13(a) of the Punjab Village Common Lands Act, 1961, regarding adjudication of title of “shamilat deh” would be decided by the District Collectors as designated by the state. The DDPOs have been asked to keep in mind the SC judgment while deciding any claim filed under Section 11 or any dispute filed under Section 7 of the Punjab Village Common Lands Act, 1961.
DDPOs given powers to decide village common land disputes
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