Hold meet to settle claims of Pong Dam oustees, BBMB told

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, January 28

With the elections to Lok Sabha due in May this year, the issue of Pong Dam oustees has once again cropped up in Kangra district.

To settle 7,743 pending cases of settlement of Pong Dam oustees, the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) administration has been directed to organise a joint meeting with the secretaries of the Water Resources Ministry and the Power Ministry.

Rehabilitation status

• Due to the construction of the Pong Dam, 20,722 families in various subdivisions of Kangra district were affected.
• The process to provide land to 16,352 affected families has been started in Rajasthan.
• Cultivable land has been provided to 8,609 affected families whereas at present, the cases of 7,743 affected families for land allotment are still pending.

The decision was taken at a meeting held recently at Dharamsala under the chairmanship of BJP MP from Kangra Kishan Kapoor for relief and rehabilitation of the displaced people. Kapoor said the people who had not been provided land in Rajasthan till now would be given a one-time settlement.

He said for the timely disposal of these pending cases, meetings should be organised with the revenue officials of Rajasthan every month and the records prepared by the Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, Fatehpur, should also be made available to the Rajasthan Government.

Dehra MLA Hoshiyar Singh raised the problems of the displaced people and said appropriate steps should be taken to remove silt in the Pong reservoir. Problems of landslides have also arisen in many panchayats, he said.

The BBMB administration should take effective steps to instal the retaining walls. A lot of problems are arising due to silt near the historical Kaleshwar Mahadev Temple and during the rainy season, the water of the reservoir reaches the Kaleshwar Temple complex, he said.

Hoshiyar Singh also gave a suggestion that a road should be constructed on the periphery of the reservoir.

DC Nipun Jindal said the revenue record of the Pong Dam-affected people had been prepared and effective steps were being taken by the administration for the rehabilitation of such people.

The file of the Pong Dam oustees has been sent to the settlement office for rectification, he said. Commissioner, Relief and Rehabilitation, Pong Dam Displaced, Sanjay Dhiman, said that a written request had been made to the Rajasthan Government for a joint meeting.

He said that helpline number 01893-250945, mobile phone numbers 98052-26122 and 94184-68365 have also been issued for the convenience of Pong-displaced people.

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