Farmers hold protest march in Mandi, demand land rights

The Himachal Kisan Sabha and Land Acquisition Rights Forum held a joint rally at Bali Chowki in Mandi district today, addressing pressing land issues. The rally was addressed by Naresh Kuku and Mahender Singh Rana, district co-convenor and committee member of the Land Acquisition Rights Forum.

They alleged that the government’s ongoing efforts to displace people from their land for the construction of national highways are illegal. According to Rana, these actions are unlawful as the affected people are not being compensated fairly.

The rally highlighted the ongoing issue at Takoli toll plaza on Kiratpur-Manali four-lane in Mandi, where locals are demanding exemption in toll tax. After the rally, a memorandum was submitted to the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Bali Chowki, outlining several demands. These included halting land displacement, providing up to five bighas of land to the landless, regularising land titles, and applying the 2013 Land Acquisition Act to those affected by National Highway 305, offering them four times more compensation. The protesters also called for a revision of the circle rates and free toll services for locals under the Bali Chowki sub-division jurisdiction.

Rana said, “In response, the SDM assured that a meeting would be arranged soon with the National Highways Authority to address these concerns.” He added that if the demands were not met, the farmers would escalate their protest in March. Rana emphasised the need for continued pressure until their rightful demands are met.