In the year 1900, Punjab Land Preservation Act was enacted by the Punjab State Government at the time. The law provides for the protection of groundwater and the prevention of erosion in areas exposed to soil erosion.
Issues regarding the Act
The 2019, Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment) Bill, was proposed. However, this was largely rejected by the opposition. The objections were mainly about changes to Article 3 of the Act.
About the amendments
Amendment to Section 3 of the law allows the government to bring any territory within the scope of the law. However, these areas are at risk of erosion or there should be an opportunity for the area to be vulnerable to erosion. Section 3C, introduced by law, also introduces construction activities in the area on behalf of farmers.
Objections Raised
According to opponents and environmentalists, this law has exposed thousands of acres of land for the development of real estate as well as mining activities. These lands are located in the hills and hills of the Aravalli Range. The original law of 1900 prohibited drilling and farming in certain areas. These changes will allow construction to take place in these vulnerable areas. According to environmentalists, all of these newly identified countries are agricultural lands. This increases erosion and topsoil loss. And most importantly, this will increase the disappearance of the Aravalli Range.
Effect of the amendments on Aravalli Range
n 2018, the Supreme Court reported that 31 of the 128 hills of the Aravalli Mountains disappeared. This is mainly due to illegal mining in the area. In addition, the Aravalli Mountains are affected by human activities such as logging, stone crushing, mining, large-scale construction and land reclamation. Illegal mining in the area has dried up some lakes on the hills. This also affects the natural drainage system in the area. Therefore, amendments to the Punjab Land Conservation Act will facilitate construction activities in the region and will add to the effects of the already extinguishing Aravalli Mountains.
Last Modified: February 14, 2024