Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the acquisition of land for the expansion of Gaggal Airport in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, village representatives have pressed for four-fold compensation as compared to the market value of the land.
The representatives of village panchayats attended a meeting regarding the review of the rehabilitation and resettlement scheme on Saturday at the deputy commissioner’s office in Dharamshala. The meeting was attended by officials of the Kangra district administration.
The compensation of land is decided as per the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 which is 2 to 4 times of the determined market value of the land.
The proposed expansion of the airport, which has been opposed by the local population, would displace hundreds of families. At least 1,500 households in 14 villages would be affected by the proposed expansion, according to the estimates.
After the public hearings were conducted in various panchayats earlier this month by the Kangra administration, a draft rehabilitation and resettlement plan is being prepared and the meeting of the committee was held to finalise it.
The representatives of the villages said that some of the demands raised during the public hearings by villagers were omitted from the draft report prepared by the district administration, which is set to be submitted to the state government. The representatives urged that all demands, including provisions for compensating affected businesses and offering four-fold compensation for the land to be acquired, be included in the report.
{{/usCountry}}The representatives of the villages said that some of the demands raised during the public hearings by villagers were omitted from the draft report prepared by the district administration, which is set to be submitted to the state government. The representatives urged that all demands, including provisions for compensating affected businesses and offering four-fold compensation for the land to be acquired, be included in the report.
{{/usCountry}}Gaggal panchayat chief Renu Pathania, who attended the meeting, said, “We should have been shown the resettlement land for villagers prior to this meeting, but that has not happened so far. We demand fair compensation and facilities equivalent to what we have in our villages. We reject compensation based on factor 1 (twice the value) and insist on factor 2 (four times the value).”
After the meeting, Kangra deputy commissioner Hemraj Bairwa said that in the process of airport expansion, the interests of the people will be kept paramount so that the rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected people can be done in a better way.
Gaggal Airport Expansion Affected Society Welfare Committee member Hansraj Chaudhary raised questions on why no committee member was invited for this meeting. “Being important stakeholders, the administration should have invited our committee members to the meeting,” he said.