After the Panjab government's Land Pooling Policy failed, its Unified Building Rules have been opposed, they now propose to auction shamlat (common) land in villages. A letter from the District Development and Panchayat Officer on 25 Aug directs 17 panchayats (village councils) to pass resolutions on 26 Aug to sell their land via open auction, citing proximity to upcoming projects. Farmer unions and panchayat representatives from 17 villages in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district gathered at Gurdwara Amb Sahib on 28 Aug to oppose the administration’s directive to auction common land. The protest marked the launch of the Zameen Bachao, Pind Bachao (Save Land, Save Villages) Committee. Farmer leader Parmdeep Singh Baidwan warned that selling these lands would deprive villages of future spaces—like housing for poor families, playgrounds, and community centers. He said, ‘This is our heritage, a collective property passed down generations. It will not be sold at any cost.’ Meanwhile, despite officials claiming adequate fertilizer stock in Panjab, farmers in several districts alleged unavailability of subsidised urea. Farmers said, 'Urea is being diverted to industries or used other than farming purposes, leaving cultivators at the mercy of dealers, who exploit farmers by forcing unnecessary purchases.' Farmers said the official price of a 45-kg urea bag is USD 3.1, but 'we are forced to buy a bag at a price as high as three to four times.' Several dealers 'refuse fertilizers supply outright or agree only on the condition that additional, often non-required, agri-chemical is bought from them.' Panjab has more than 25K authorized fertilizer and pesticides dealers, including commission agents, and 3K cooperative societies officially tasked with distributing fertilizers. Apart from being a vital nitrogen-based fertilizer for crops, urea is also used in resin manufacturing, plywood, adhesives (like Fevicol), cattle feed, and even in some chemical processes. Technical-grade industrial urea is unsubsidized and costs significantly higher than agricultural-grade subsidized urea. Recently, a special team led by Chief Agriculture Officer Harkamal Pritpal Singh Bharot raided Satyam Industry in Khati village of Phagwara block and seized 95 bags of subsidized urea and 135 empty subsidised urea bags (earlier coverage).
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