By Tribune News Line Bureau
CHANDIGARH, JULY 2: The Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa has issued instructions to the department officials to get the village pond lands vacated that have been illegally occupied by some people. Mr. Bajwa has directed the officials to get the village ponds maintained properly for their proper utilization.
The Rural Development & Panchayat Minister ordered the officials to restore status quo ante after getting the record from the revenue department. The pond lands would be marked on the basis of the record and encroachments should be removed.
Mr. Bajwa said it was because of these encroachments that there were no outlets for drains in the villages resulting in disputes among the people over stagnant dirty water.
Mr. Bajwa had called upon the officials of the department to explore the possibilities of treating sewage water for irrigation purposes. He said this treated water could be supplied to the fields by installing solar powered pumps on these ponds for which the government was providing 80 per cent subsidy.
The Rural Development & Panchayat Minister said that these ponds could also be used for harvesting rainwater as presently, the only outlet for this water are drains that result in its wastage. ‘Rainwater harvesting could also help in raising the sub-soil water level’, he added.