The Punjab government’s catchy slogan ‘Jehda Khet, Ohdi Ret’, promising farmers ownership of flood-deposited sand in their fields, is colliding with a far more complicated reality. What was announced as a straightforward relief measure has become mired in rules, restrictions, and allegations of political interference, leaving many farmers frustrated and angry.
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Harjinder Singh, a farmer from Chahdarpur village, was among the first to learn how the policy works on the ground. He was stopped by officials as he tried to clear his sugarcane field, where sand deposits as high as three feet had buried his crop. “Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has clearly said that I own the sand in my fields, but officials have not been following his orders or the policy of ‘Jehda Khet, Ohdi Ret’,” he fumed.
Several farmers across Amritsar have reported similar experiences. Videos circulating on social media show officials allegedly preventing sand removal, adding to the sense of confusion. Some farmers also claim the administration is turning a blind eye to illegal mining.
Kirpal Singh, another farmer, alleged that while cultivators are being stopped, the mining mafia continues to operate unchecked. “On one hand, religious leaders are trying to repair the breaches on the Ravi, while on the other, the administration and politicians are allowing the mining mafia to operate at night,” he said, adding that he had even filmed one such incident.
Sarwan Singh Pandher, president of the Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Union, echoed the sentiment. “Farmers are being harassed to benefit the mining mafia. From the first day, we feared the government would not allow farmers to sell the sand. That is happening now. They have imposed conditions that make it nearly impossible to extract sand. The government wants to hand it over to the sand mafia. We will fight against it,” he said.
Few farmers realise that the policy comes with tight terms. In Amritsar, only 19 villages have been notified where sand can be lifted, and even then, only with the district administration’s nod.
Ajnala SDM Ravinder Singh said some farmers protested the restrictions, clarifying that they can remove sand from their fields but not from deposits “right on the riverbank or alongside the river,” which fall under the Mining Department’s purview. River demarcation will guide the decision, he said. Mining officers have been asked to “either allow it or declare it illegal” after site verification. Farmers have been asked to submit land records so reports can be issued “within two days.”
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The political heat around the issue has only risen. Former minister and AAP MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal rejected the charge that politicians are helping the mining mafia. “Flood-hit farmers have begun clearing sand from their fields and selling it to recover some of their losses. Yet, some people are spreading rumors that I am involved in illegal mining. Such anti-farmer elements should be ashamed for peddling lies instead of standing with farmers in this crisis,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Amritsar district administration has formally permitted sand removal in 19 villages: Malakpur, Darya Musa, Ghonewahla, Saharan, Kassowahla, Arazi Saharan, Mahimad Mandran Wala, Chahdarpur, Kot Rajada, Arazi Kot Rajada, Panj Grain Wahla, Ghumrae, Machhiwahla, Mangoonarh, Sahijada, Kamalpur Khurd, Nangal Sohal, Roorewal, and Budha Varsal.
Authorities said the goal is to restore farmland while ensuring surface levels are not damaged during clearance. The Executive Engineer of the Amritsar Drainage Mining & Geology Division, along with Sub-Divisional Magistrates, will oversee operations. The government has further directed that no material be lifted from regular riverbed mines, Commercial Mining Sites (CMS), or Public Mining Sites (PMS) under the pretext of field clearance. Monitoring Committees at the district and subdivision levels, along with the Mining Department, have been tasked with preventing any illegal extraction.
What began as a slogan of relief is now playing out as a test of credibility, for the government, for the administration, and for the farmers still waiting to reclaim their land.
