Residents of Haryana CM Khattar’s village on protest for 20 months

Sunit Dhawan

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Nindana (Rohtak), August 23

Residents of Nindana, the native village of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, have been staging a protest demonstration against alleged irregularities and anomalies in the consolidation of land holdings at the village for the past 20 months.

The dharna started on January 15, 2022, and is still in progress. The protesters allege that they have met the Chief Minister and top officers of the state several times, but have got only empty assurances.

“Certain influential residents of the village bribed the government officials during the process of consolidation and got the fertile and valuable chunks of land. On the other hand, the poor and unaware residents got barren and waterlogged land,” alleged Rajbir Singh, who heads the dharna committee.

The compensation for the land acquired for the construction of National Highway No.152-D passing through the village was also grabbed by the influential persons in connivance with government officials, he added.

The protesting villagers maintained that the dharna would continue till the cancellation of the consolidation.

However, some residents of the village maintain that the consolidation has been carried out appropriately.

“The complaints pertaining to wrongful consolidation are being made by the residents who have land disputes within their families or those who had encroached upon village common land and will now have to vacate it,” said Chand Ram, who was a member of the village land-consolidation committee.

Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Ajay Kumar said the consolidation process had been completed and the residents who still have any complaints regarding the land holdings may file their cases before the Divisional Commissioner under Section 42 of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation Act), 1948.