Sangrur admn begins process to take possession of land given to Jind Maharaja
According to an order of the Patiala divisional commissioner dated February 2, 1987, Maharaja Satbir Singh is in possession of the land by way of grant only and is not the complete owner of the land. He can only enjoy the fruits of the land until his death, following which the entire land will vest with the Punjab government.
After the death of Maharaja Satbir Singh, the last ruler of erstwhile princely state Jind, on August 18 this year, the Sangrur administration has initiated steps to take back the possession and ownership of 302 acres, 3 kanals and 3 marlas of a prime land located on the outskirts of the city.
The land was granted to the royal family along with privy purses during the integration of princely states with government of India after the Independence. Privy purse was the amount of money given to families of erstwhile princely states.
The administration has issued directions to the revenue department to start the process to take back the land, which was previously controlled in the name of the provincial government and was mutated in favour of Maharaja Rajbir Singh and later in the name of Maharaja Satbir Singh in 1994.
According to an order of the Patiala divisional commissioner dated February 2, 1987, Maharaja Satbir Singh is in possession of the land by way of grant only and is not the complete owner of the land. He can only enjoy the fruits of the land until his death, following which the entire land will vest with the Punjab government.
Officials said of the 302 acres of the land, around 100 acres are in the possession of a private person.
Dearth of govt land delays projects in Sangrur
A number of projects in the district have been hanging in fire for dearth of land. The construction of a government medical college, a dream project of chief minister Bhagwant Mann, in Sangrur failed to take off due to shortage of government land in the district.
The government had laid the foundation stone of the college at a donated land in Badrukhan village near Mastuana Sahib. However, soon after the stone laying ceremony, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Sant Attar Singh Gursagar Mastuana Trust claimed their ownership over the land. Meanwhile, the government failed to find any alternate land for the college.
Land was transferred to Bir Aishwan area from Mauran village
On August 14, 1954, the family had requested that the allotted land in Mauran village be exchanged with 500 pucca bighas in Bir Aishwan areas, which the then deputy secretary of the revenue department of the government of Pepsu accepted.
Robin Lehal, who was closely associated with the Maharaja, said, “The government land in Mauran village was in a deserted area and the royal family once also became a victim of a law and order situation while visiting the land. Therefore, they requested the government for transferring land.”
Advocate BK Goyal, who was the counsel of Maharaja Satbir Singh during a legal dispute which erupted over this piece of land, said, “The government had given the land to the royal family and now it is up to the government to decide the fate of the land.”
Sangrur deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal said, “We came to know about the demise of the Maharaja. Revenue records of the land are being collected and action will be taken as per the rules. Necessary directions have been issued to the field officials.”