Hooda led delegation meet Haryana governor, voices concern over land quota bill

A delegation of Congress MLAs Tuesday met Haryana Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya and urged him not to give assent to the Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment) Bill, 2019. The delegation was led by former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and it included senior Congress leaders Karan Singh Dalal, Geeta Bhukkal, Phool Chand Mullana, among others.

"We urged the governor to return the bill and not give his assent. Seeking his immediate intervention, we also urged him to order a high-level probe so that those who stand to gain due to the amendment to the act are exposed," Hooda told reporters here. "We apprised the governor that even the top environmentalists have expressed fear that if Aravalis forest cover is tinkered with, it can play havoc with the environment of Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad. These cities are already facing pollution problem and can become gas chambers," he said.

On February 27, the Haryana Assembly had passed amendments to the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), opening up thousands of acres of land to real estate and other non-forest activity that were protected under it for over a century. The Congress delegation also sought dismissal of the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government, alleging that it "neither cares for the environment nor respects the courts".

Two days after the bill was passed, the Supreme Court came down heavily on the Haryana government for passing amendments to the act which allows construction in Aravalli hills, saying the step will destroy the forest and this cannot be permitted. The bench asked the state not to take any further action on the law and termed it "shocking" that the Haryana government has taken this step despite being told earlier by the apex court not to do so.

The Punjab Land Preservation Act was enacted by the Punjab government in 1900 and it provided for the conservation of subsoil water and prevention of erosion in areas found to be subject to erosion or likely to become liable to erosion. "We told the governor that there is a big scam involved here. With the passage of the amended bill, builders and land sharks stand to profit a great deal due to the changed act. A probe can dig out the truth in this regard," he said.

(With inputs from agencies.)