Mann government’s plan “Whose field is his sand” is not going well with the officials Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had given the right to sell the sand accumulated in the fields after the floods to the landowners, which has become a subject of controversy in many villages.
SNPNEWS.IN News Update Sep 25: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had given the right to farmers collect and sell the sand accumulated in the fields of the villages of the flood-hit districts. On September 8, 2025, the cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann implemented the plan. Under this, farmers can remove and sell the sand/liar accumulated in the fields due to floods without any permit or NOC (No Objection Certificate). This permission is being said to be valid till December 31, 2025. Apart from this, MNREGA workers and machinery (JCB, tractor) are being deployed to clear the fields.
But even after the announcement of the policy, farmers are facing immense difficulties. According to this policy, farmers are free to remove sand from their fields and sell it, but at the ground level, the police and local authorities are stopping the farmers.
According to a viral video on social media (from Chaharpur village, which is located in Ajnala block of Amritsar district), Harjinder Singh, a local farmer, tried to remove sand from his sugarcane field. But the authorities told him that the area is located on the bank of a river and comes under the mining department. This frustrated the farmer and he recorded the video and shared it on social media.
Several other farmers in Chaharpur say that due to the obstacles in removing sand, their fields cannot be ready for the rabi crop (especially wheat), which will cause them more financial losses. 19 villages of Amritsar district were notified, including Chaharpur, but the land process continues to face hurdles.
These disputes have been seen mainly in villages like Khuiansarvar, Sayeddanwali, Maujgarh, Khijarpur, Sangra, Baupur Jadid, Sindhupur, Ghonewal, Dharamkot Randhawa, Pattibilla, Dalmirkhera, Giddranwali, Diwankhera, Waryamkhera and Khuikhera in Fazilka, Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur districts.
The people and farmers’ union leaders who gathered on this occasion accused the local authorities of pressuring them by citing mining rules to stop remove the sand accumulated in their fields. Which will benefit the mining mafia. The farm owners say that the authorities are ignoring illegal mining, while the farmers are being targeted.
The opposition parties (Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal) made this incident a political issue, calling it a failure of the government. It was also used as propaganda against the government on social media by continuously sharing the videos.