Chandigarh, Oct 13 (IANS): The Punjab government has identified 26,300 acres of cultivable 'shamlat' (panchayat) lands, valued at approximately Rs 9,200 crore, that were not even known to the panchayats, state Rural Development Panchayat Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said on Thursday.

The government has decided to carry out farming on any 'shamlat' land that goes unauctioned.

He said a special campaign was launched by the government to get rid of illegal possession and identify these lands.

A special 'shamlat' cell was established by the government to run the campaign effectively.

The department is thoroughly examining all records of the Revenue Department related to 'shamlat' lands across the state. So far the work of comparing the records with Revenue Department record of 86 out of 153 blocks has been completed to identify the land which is not under the possession or in the record of panchayats.

Terming it a great achievement of the Bhagwant Mann government, the minister lashed out at the previous governments for not bothering to identify or take care of 'shamlat' lands.

Dhaliwal said the officials of the department have been directed to complete the identification of such 'shamlat' land in the remaining blocks by December 2023. Besides, he said the records of the 'shamlat' lands were being uploaded on the website of the department.

Taking forward the campaign to get rid of the illegal occupation, the government has issued a WhatsApp number and appealed to all residents to send complaints or information regarding illegal occupation at 911 511 6262. The identity of the informer will be kept confidential.