- Your Homes & Shops are my responsibility, Bains assures Nangal residents
Chandigarh, December 6:
Taking a firm stand to safeguard rights of Nangal residents, Punjab Education Minister S. Harjot Singh Bains has vowed to permanently resolve the longstanding land dispute that has cast a shadow over the town.
S. Bains expressed his deep connection to Nangal, calling it “Punjab’s and the country’s most beautiful town”. He pledged to protect residents’ livelihoods, as the BBMB’s claim over prime land, especially in Kilan area market and Pahari market, threatens the city’s lifeline.
In a video message, the Education Minister said that he recently met with elderly residents and shopkeepers, and he was moved by their decades-long struggle with constant fear and harassment. “They live with the dread that their roofs and livelihoods could be snatched away at any moment,” he said, while emphasising that this is unacceptable. A recent High Court order related to a shop has heightened the urgency for a resolution.
He assured the people of Nangal, “You have placed your duty upon me; I am your son, the responsibility for every single roof and every single shop in Nangal is mine.”
Expressing commitment to resolve the issue urgently, S. Bains said that a high-powered committee with Punjab’s top officials, including the Advocate General, will examine land records and lead the effort. He’ll also lead a delegation of Nangal residents to meet the Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann next week. He emphasised that the land belongs to the Punjab Government and BBMB has been harassing residents. The goal is to restore land rights to residents through legal means, ending their insecurity. This issue is his top priority.
