Balbir Sidhu’s NGO may use ‘gaushala’ land commercially: Dept

Vishav Bharti

Chandigarh, August 7

In a report prepared regarding 10 acre prime panchayat land allotted in Mohali to a “gaushala” run by former Health Minister Balbir Sidhu, the Rural Development and Panchayats Department has expressed concern saying that the former minister’s NGO may use the land worth crores for commercial purposes instead of a “gaushala”.

The former minister, who is in the BJP now, was the president of NGO Bal Gopal Gau Basera and his brother, who is the Mayor of Mohali, was also its office-bearer. The NGO was registered on minister’s residential address in Mohali and given 10 acre and 4 kanal land on an annual lease of Rs 25,000 per acre in March 2020. Though Sidhu had been claiming there would be no other activity except keeping stray cattle on the land, the NGO had passed a resolution to construct a banquet hall there.

Land worth crores

• Former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu’s NGO was allotted 10 acre and 4 kanal on an annual lease of Rs 25,000 per acre in March 2020
• Sidhu has been claiming there will be no other activity except for keeping stray cattle on the land
• The NGO, however, has passed a resolution to construct a banquet hall on the land intended for a ‘gaushala’

Last month, the government had cancelled the lease, under which the land was allotted to the NGO, but the minister moved the High Court, which ordered status quo on the matter.

Now the Rural Development and Panchayats Department has prepared a ‘spot report’ and expressed concern “there is chance of commercial usage of this land in future”.

The report noted there were around 150 cattle (cows and calves) in one of the two sheds. “Tags have been installed on the ears of many cows on the spot, from which it is assumed that these cows are not stray but milk-yielding cattle. One shed is completely empty and this shed has been newly constructed,” it said.

The report said people present on the spot produced a copy of the resolution passed by this institute as per which the institute has decided to build a cowshed, a banquet hall, a temple and a diagnostic centre.

Besides, people present on the spot also produced copies of cuttings of newspapers with photos of Amarjit Singh Sidhu, Mayor, MC, SAS Nagar, inaugurating a Press Club at this place.

“This is a valuable land. The institute had taken this land on lease for cow shed only. From the resolution passed by the institute, it is assumed that the institute wants to use this place for commercial use,” the report said.

Apart from that, the report found that since there was an MC cow shed adjoining this land, there was no requirement of another cowshed.

Sidhu refused to comment, saying that the matter was pending in the High Court, so whatever he had to say, he would say in the court.