Renuka dam oustees threaten stir over compensation

Solan,September 10

The Renuka Dam Jan Sangharsh Samiti today threatened an agitation if their demands were not met soon. A delegation of oustees gave a memorandum to the DC, Sirmaur, and demanded the early settlement of their grievances.

The oustees, who were hoping to get employment in the project, have been left high and dry as jobs were doled out on an outsourced basis to outsiders. This has become a contentious issue for the locals.

Samiti president Yogender Kapila alleges that no concrete step has been taken by the management for the rehabilitation and provision of other facilities for the 1,142 families, who face displacement from 17 panchayats.

Despite assuring the oustees during a meeting on December 24 about settling the pending disputes and providing cards to the affected families, nothing has been done in nine months.

As per the relief and rehabilitation plan, homeless families are supposed to be provided compensation as per the plinth area rate determined by the PWD. A meagre compensation of Rs 7 lakh is being provided for construction of a house on 150 sq m land while the land price per biswa in the district ranges from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh. They demand a change in this rate

They also demand a fresh social impact assessment as they term the assessment, done earlier, vague and the organisation, which had conducted it, did not assess the ground reality.

They demand a complete landless status for those whose tillable land will be submerged and those who had been earning their livelihood in the area since generations. One person of such families should be provided a government job and a special quota should be reserved for the oustees to facilitate their rehabilitation, says Kapila.

The complete landless status has also been sought for those who tilled either forestland or land owned by others. They also demand a high-level probe into the alleged irregularities in the purchase of land for their rehabilitation as a vigilance probe which had begun has not yielded any result.

They demand housing colonies near big cities where they can earn their livelihood.

Their demands

• A meagre compensation of Rs 7 lakh is being provided for construction of a house on 150 sq m land
• The land price per biswa in the district ranges from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh
• They demand a change in the rate
• Also seek complete landless status for those whose tillable land will be submerged and those who had been earning their livelihood in the area since generations