Minister: Give ownership rights to the landless within a month

Tribune News Service

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Shimla, August 7

Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi has directed Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) to provide ownership rights of up to 5 bighas of land within a month to 141 people who were left landless due to the Nathpa Jhakri power

project.

The minister issued the order while chairing a state-level meeting of the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Advisory Committee of the Nathpa Jhakri and Baspa hydroelectric projects. Nand Lal, chairman of the Seventh State Finance Commission, was also present in the meeting.

141 rendered sans land due to power project

• Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited has been directed by the minister to provide ownership rights of up to 5 bighas of land within a month to 141 people who were rendered landless due to the Nathpa Jhakri power project.
• According to an official, out of the total landless families, 61 have been given employment in the power project and the remaining have been provided financial assistance in lieu of employment.

The officials of the hydroelectric projects said 480 families had been affected in the Jhakri project area, of these 141 families had been declared landless and 67 families homeless. “Out of 141 landless families, 61 families have been given employment in the power project and the remaining people have been provided financial assistance in lieu of employment,” the officials told the committee.

The committee also sought detailed information about hospitals, schools and other schemes being run in the area affected by the project, and instructions were given to improve these services.

Several other issues discussed during the meeting include providing permanent jobs to the displaced families, giving 1 per cent of the total production of the project as royalty, planting new saplings in the project area every year in collaboration with locals and making arrangements for irrigation and drinking water.

Additional Secretary (Revenue) Balwan Chand, Shimla Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap, Kinnaur DC Amit Kumar, Shimla Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Gandhi, Rampur SDM Nishant Tomar and officials of the Nathpa Jhakri and Baspa projects were present during the meeting.