Tuesday, 30 January 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Former chief minister Harish Rawat has said that the people affected and displaced by the Tehri dam project are being neglected by the government. Addressing media persons at the headquarters of the State Congress here on Monday, Rawat said that the people of Tehri sacrificed their homes and agricultural land for the sake of the country. He said that the then government had promised that one member from every displaced family will be provided with a government job but this promise was taken back by the then Kalyan Singh government of Uttar Pradesh.
Rawat said that the Supreme Court (SC) in the year 2013 had ordered that the government and the company should calculate and compensate the collateral damage caused by the dam and reservoir but nothing was done. He said that the displaced families of Tehri were given land for settlement in Pathri area of Haridwar but they have not received the ownership right on the allotted land for the last 42 years. In absence of ownership rights they are not able to take loans from the bank and face many other problems.
He said that the local MLA had raised the issue during the budget session of the state assembly on which the Chief Minister had assured that the ownership right will be provided to the displaced people of Tehri dam residing in Pathri I, II, III and IV. However no action was taken on the issue. Rawat alleged that instead of solving the problem the forest department is trying to complicate things by conducting a survey based on which it asserted that the people are occupying 23 hectares of additional land.
Rawat demanded that the government should give the ownership rights to the displaced settled in Pathri I, II, III and IV without any more delay and the survey and observations of the forest department should be taken back. He said that a committee composed of the minister concerned, THDC and director rehabilitation should be constituted on the issue of the promises made to the displaced families of Tehri.
The former CM said that he will observe a fast on February 1 at Gandhi Park in support of the displaced people of Tehri.
