Kotrupi victims protest, seek rehabilitation

pender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, January 31

Seeking rehabilitation, landslide-hit victims of Kotrupi village in Mandi district today staged a protest against the state government at Seri Manch.

In the tragedy that struck on August 12, 2017, as many as 13 families of Urla village, living near Kotrupi, lost their houses and agriculture land. At least 48 persons were killed in the landslide. Two HRTC buses and a few other vehicles were buried under the debris.

The tragedy forced them to take refuge in temporary shelters provided by the district administration. Since then these affected families have been urging the state government and the district administration to provide them land for construction of houses. However, nothing has been done so far.

On Thursday, a large number of people from the area also joined the protest with these affected families against the state government.

The state government, led by former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, had declared that the affected families would be rehabilitated but nothing happened on the ground. After the BJP came to power, the victims were hopeful that Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who also belongs to Mandi district, will take steps for their rehabilitation but nothing of the sort happened.

Bhag Singh, Duni Chand, Man Chand, Gyan Chand, Prakash Chand, Chobe Ram, Fuli Ram and a few other victims had met the Chief Minister in Mandi last year, who had directed the Deputy Commissioner to look into the matter.

Fuli Ram and Kamla, landslide victims, said: “Before the Assembly elections politicians visiting in the area promised speedy justice but after coming to power they have chosen to forget about it. Nearly one-and-a-half year has passed since the tragedy struck but nothing has been done to rehabilitate us. We (13 families) had lost our agriculture land and houses in this massive landslide and the state government had promised us land for our rehabilitation.”

Many of the affected families have hired rooms at Padhar but due to financial constraints, it is not easy for them to live there.

“We urge the Chief Minister to feel our pain and make speedy efforts to rehabilitate us. It is not easy for poor families to live in rented houses permanently”, they said.

Darang MLA Jawahar Thakur said that he would take up the matter with Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.