CHANDIGARH; Amid fears of land pooling, acquisition and agricultural corporatisation, farmers in parts of the Malwa region of Punjab are wary of drone surveys being conducted on their lands, triggering protests and apprehension in several villages.
A 13-member team of a private company hailing from Maharashtra, conducting a drone survey, was apprehended by residents of Goniana Khurd village in Bathinda recently. They reportedly told the villagers that their land was being mapped.
The team members were taken to the local gurdwara in the village and questioned by the villagers. The local police and railway officials later reached the village.
The railway officials said that the company had been engaged by them to survey land for laying a rail track between Bathinda and Bhucho. After getting assurances from the district administration and the police, the survey team was released by the villagers.
However, there are lots of apprehensions over frequent surveys persisting in the region.
In August, locals of Ghaso Khana village in Maur apprehended surveyors conducting drone surveys over agricultural land. The situation escalated after villagers spotted coloured markings on their land, raising fears over future acquisition.
The residents of around 60 villages, particularly in the Maur subdivision of Bathinda district, had raised strong objections over the drone survey.
At several places, villagers stopped the drone survey. According to villagers, a few people who had been conducting the survey failed to produce identification documents and were seen marking red and yellow lines on village land and agricultural fields.
The markings have fuelled apprehensions among residents that their land could eventually be acquired. The local administration said the exercise was being conducted to prepare a GIS-based master plan.
Talking with TNIE, Senior Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader and President of All India Kisan Federation, Prem Singh Bhangu said that in many villages in the Malwa area, especially in Bathinda, Mansa and Sangrur districts, drone surveys by private companies were taking place. The survey teams are being continuously opposed by farmers.
He added that this matter has been raised before the Punjab Government and was taken up by the officials during a week-long dharna on the Chandigarh-Mohali barrier held a few days back.
"We suspect that the central government is trying to bring in a kind of farm policy via the back door and intends to eliminate small and marginal farmers. They aim to bring in corporate farming, as big clusters are being planned in this regard."
"However, when we had talks with the government officials, they totally denied any such move and said such beliefs are baseless and nothing as such is in the pipeline,’’ he said.
"The farmers are well within their rights to oppose such a policy which is being carried out to oust the same farmers and hand over their lands to big corporates. We are watching the situation and will take further steps at an appropriate time,’’ he said.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) leader Shingara Singh said that the mapping exercises were being conducted amid mistrust between farmers and the state government following the introduction of its land pooling policy.
He alleged that the team doing the survey gives lame excuses to the villagers, which amplifies the mistrust.
"In Bhunder village, the locals who stopped a drone survey were told that the drones were being used to locate faults in power transmission and distribution lines, but the local electricity department officials denied it’’ he said.
He highlighted that this issue was raised on September 25 with Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian.
A senior officer of the state revenue department said that drone surveys were also being conducted in other Malwa villages to map ``abadi deh” land, while digital crop surveys were underway at some places.
He dismissed all the concerns of the villagers and added that there was no concrete plan for land zoning or land pooling at present. He further said the railways had the requisite permission to conduct the survey.