Haryana Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961:
The Haryana Legislative Assembly has amended the Haryana Village Common Lands (Regulation) Act, 1961 to enable unauthorised occupants to purchase certain categories of ‘Shamilat deh’ land from gram panchayats and convert it into private ownership, shifting village commons governance from social protection to ownership through payment.
- It aims to reduce long-pending litigation, clear revenue court backlogs, resolve village land disputes and generate revenue for gram panchayats.
- It converts long-standing informal possession into formal ownership, improving land records, planning and service delivery.
- The amendment moves village commons from a rights-based protective framework towards a market-based ownership model, prioritising administrative efficiency over social justice.
- Landless and Dalit households risk shrinking access to village commons, weakening a critical social safety net for grazing, fuel and subsistence.
- It may legitimise long-standing illegal occupation, converting de facto possession into de jure ownership rather than correcting unequal land control.
- Those with money, paperwork capacity and political networks are more likely to gain ownership, stabilising elite capture of commons.
