Pathankot-Mandi Highway project-hit to start relay fast, Chipko movement

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, March 27

The families affected by the Pathankot-Mandi Highway widening project in Nurpur section (Kandwal to Seuni) have decided to resort to relay fast and launch Chipko movement if their grievances are not addressed until April 5.

Up in arms against the apathy of the state government in ensuring fair compensation to 3,781 families whose residential and commercial properties have been acquired for the project, the Four Lane Sangarsh Samiti recently announced that the affected people would oppose the possession of their properties. The Samiti had also submitted a memorandum in this connection to the Chief Minister through the local administration.

Darbari Singh and Vijay Heer, president and general secretary of the Samiti, respectively, said delegations of the Samiti had met the CM several times during the past over three years and demanded fair compensation for those affected but the government had shrugged them off.

“The Samiti had also met the local MLA and Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania several times, who also gave hollow assurances of fair land compensation. The NHAI announced three compensation awards with different rates for the same land in the same revenue mohal in Nurpur,” they lamented.

They said the NHAI was again set to disburse unfair compensation by following old yardsticks of the Public Works Department (PWD) whereas the price should be evaluated with current market prices (2022) of construction material. If the state government did not intervene to ensure justice to the displaced families, thousands of people would be rendered jobless after losing their business establishments in Nurpur, the Samiti claimed.

The Sangarsh Samiti has also appealed to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to reduce the proposed width of the highway from 40/45 to 32/35 meters so that roadside business establishments and vends could be saved.

3,781 families await fair compensation

• The Four Lane Sangharsh Samiti is up in arms against the state government for failing to ensure fair compensation to 3,781 families, whose residential and commercial properties have been acquired for the project.
• The Samiti has also appealed to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur to reduce the proposed breadth of the highway from 40/45 to 32/35 meters so that roadside business establishments and vends could be save.

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