LAHORE, Dec 22: The Punjab Assembly on Thursday granted proprietary rights to tenants who have been in “possession of the land and cultivating it without any rent to the owners for 20 years before the promulgation of the Punjab Tenancy Act, 1887.”

Along with nine other bills, the Punjab Assembly passed “Punjab Conferment of Proprietary Rights on Occupancy Tenants and Muqarraridars Act, 2011.” Once the bill is signed by the governor, some 200,000 tenants are expected to benefit from the law, granting them ownership rights over 400,000 acre land.

After the promulgation, an occupancy tenant or Muqarraridar shall become owner unless proven otherwise under clause 4 of the Act that the land was originally brought under cultivation by a predecessor-in-interest (any predecessor) of the landlord. The revenue officer concerned would shift the record in the name of the occupant tenant or Muqarraridar as the owner.

According to the new law, no person shall claim compensation from an occupancy tenant, a Muqarraridar or the government for conferment of ownership of the land on the occupancy tenant or the Muqarraridar.

According to the bill, a landlord can file objections with the collector within six months on the ground that the land was originally brought under cultivation by a predecessor-in-interest of the landlord. If the collector is satisfied that the land was originally brought under cultivation by his predecessor-in-interest, he shall pass order as he deems appropriate. The aggrieved party may file an appeal against final order. The order then shall be final and no civil court shall entertain any appeal against the decision.

The assembly also passed nine amendment bills. The amendments in these bills have been necessitated after the 18th amendment to the Constitution.

These include: The Punjab Administrators General's (Amendment) Bill, the Charitable And Religious Trusts (Amendment) Bill, the Antiquities (Amendment) Bill, the Punjab Protection of Breast-Feeding And Child Protection Nutrition (Amendment) Bill, the Disabled Persons (Employment and Rehabilitation) Bill, the Specific Relief (Amendment) Bill, the Official Trustees (Amendment) Bill, the (Defamation Amendment) Bill, the Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) (Amendment) Bill.