Farmers in parts of Malwa are increasingly wary of drone surveys being conducted on their land by private entities, amid fears of land pooling and acquisition. The surveys have been taking place for the past month, triggering protests and apprehension in several villages.Two days ago, residents of Goniana Khurd village in Bathinda apprehended a 13-member team conducting a drone survey. The surveyors, all employed by a private company and hailing from Maharashtra, reportedly told the villagers they were mapping the land.The team was taken to the local gurdwara and questioned by villagers. The police and Railways officials later reached the spot. Railway officials said the company had been engaged by them to survey land for laying a rail track between Bathinda and Bhucho.The villagers released the survey team after receiving assurances from the local administration and the police. However, apprehensions over frequent surveys persist in the region.Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Dhiman dismissed the villagers’ concerns, saying there was no concrete plan for land zoning at present. He said the Railways had the requisite permission to conduct the survey.A senior Revenue Department officer said drone surveys were also being conducted in other Malwa villages to map “abadi deh” land, while digital crop surveys were underway at some places.Last month, residents of Ghaso Khana village in Maur apprehended surveyors conducting drone surveys over agricultural land. The situation escalated after villagers spotted coloured markings on their land, raising fears that these could be used to mark land for future acquisition. The local administration said the exercise was being conducted to prepare a GIS-based master plan.BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) leader Shingara Singh said the mapping exercises were being conducted amid mistrust between farmers and the state government following the introduction of its land pooling policy.He said surveyors had given “lame excuses” to villagers, further increasing mistrust. In Bhunder village, he said, villagers who stopped a drone survey were told the drones were being used to locate faults in power transmission and distribution lines. Power Department officials, however, denied that. Shingara Singh said the issue was also raised with Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian on September 25.The Tribune reported that some villagers had begun keeping night vigil against drone surveys.