Villagers oppose land acquisition for Badshahpur drain expansion

The expansion of Badshahpur drain has hit a roadblock as villagers opposed land acquisition. Representatives of 12 villagers held a panchayat on Monday at Khandsa village opposing the idea and asked the administration to select an alternative route to widen the drain.

The expansion of Badshahpur drain has hit a roadblock as villagers opposed land acquisition. Representatives of 12 villagers held a panchayat on Monday at Khandsa village opposing the idea and asked the administration to select an alternative route to widen the drain.

Villagers held panchayat at Khandsa village in protest of proposed land acquisition for expansion of Badshahpur drain (HT File Photo)

Badshahpur drain, which originates from Ghata village, passes through Khandsa village after crossing below the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The narrow channel of the drain at Khandsa and other blockages on the way lead to waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk during rain.

Earlier this month, the government decided to expand the drain channel and 400 houses would have to be replaced. But villagers are opposing this plan.

“The drain will be expanded from the centre of Khanda village and more than 400 houses will be affected. There are two other alternative routes and we have appealed to the authorities to consider them. Else, we will have to launch a protest,” Uday Bir Singh, sarpanch of Khandsa village, said.

He said the government should not behave like dictator and they would not allow the administration to uproot an entire village.

The Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) has already started removing encroachments from Khandsa road to make way for the expansion.

The Huda has proposed alternative plots on which people can be rehabilitated. In a meeting with PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh on September 6, Huda officials said the authority has identified about 600 plots for the purpose.

“There are alternative routes, then what is the need of displacing settled families? The authorities need to work on new routes and the issue can be resolved,” Rambir Singh, sarpanch of Narsinghpur village, said.

Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav said one alternative option is to make a box drain that would not require land acquisition from the villagers. The other option is to construct a drain with a capacity of 1,000 to 2,000 cusec water along the Northern and Southern peripheral roads. “We will acquire land only with the consent of villagers and no force will be used. We have offered plots to villagers at better locations,” Yadav said.

The government has also decided to transfer 629 square metre land of the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the drain expansion and other infrastructure work to resolve waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk.