Chamba farmers denied land rights

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 14

For the last 50 years, Uttarakhand farmers engaged in horticulture activities in the Chamba fruit and vegetable belt in Tehri have been successfully exploiting the salubrious climate of hills to grow apples, plums and an assortment of off-season vegetables. While their hard work has made the area famous, it is the state government that has forgotten them and their hard work and not vested land rights in them.

The woes of the farmers have become more painful as the government recently vested the land tenancy rights in those owners who had been occupying the category-IV land. “Farmers have been demanding the ownership rights of lands on which they have toiled but the so-called farmer-friendly Uttarakhand government has ignored their demand. Of what use is my hard work on a land that I do not own. The government has gone out of the way to grant land rights to some categories but ignored us,” says Virender Singh Negi, president of the Chamba Mussoorie Phal Pattti Evam Kastkar Samiti.

Significantly, during 1964 and 1965, the Uttar Pradesh government had earmarked 42 km of area (comprising revenue and civil land falling between Mussoorie and Chamba on both sides of the road which was allotted to freedom fighters, ex-servicemen, dependents of ex-servicemen and farmers. The government also recovered dues from the plot owners through the sale of trees based on whose land comprised of forest area. Soon, the plot owners transformed the area into a flourishing vegetable and fruit belt. But all their efforts have been gone waste, as the government has not granted them ownership rights.

“The farmers cannot take up new ventures such as floriculture and animal husbandry. They have also begun to feel the pinch of climate change. Their productivity is declining as warmer winters and less winter rain are threatening apple production while wild animals are ravaging their fruit trees,” says Chandi Prasad Dabral, a farmer in Devdarshni-Kanataal.

Besides the ownership rights, farmers say their area should be declared an eco-tourism zone and proper water irrigation facilities be provided.

Peasants’ hard work goes unnoticed

Significantly, during 1964 and 1965, the Uttar Pradesh government had earmarked 42 km of area (comprising revenue and civil land falling between Mussoorie and Chamba on both sides of the road, but was allotted to freedom fighters,  ex-servicemen,  dependents of ex-servicemen and farmers. The government also recovered dues from the plot owners through the sale of trees based on whose land comprised of forest area. Soon, the plot owners transformed the area into a flourishing vegetable and fruit belt. But all their efforts have been gone waste, as the government has not granted them ownership rights.