Nod to allotment of land to Radha Soami denied
A fax message received from Delhi by Secretary Forests V. N. Ojha, directed the Punjab Government not to sell or lease out the land in question along the Sirhind canal in Roopnagar district to the Radha Soami sect. This would be viewed as a serious violation of the Forest Conservation Act, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest said in its message.
The Punjab Irrigation Department had decided to sell the land to the Radha Soamis at a throwaway price of Rs 100 per square yard. The land actually belonged to the Forest Department which had strongly objected to the construction of a boundary wall by the sect.
The deputy commissioner reportedly did not intervene in the matter despite repeated requests by forest officials on the ground that the Radha Soamis had a valid allotment letter in their favour.
The allotment of the land was also a violation of a Supreme Court verdict of December 12, 1996 which was aimed at preserving the forest cover in the country, besides, greening the environment.
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