Central panel faces Pong oustees’ ire

Our Correspondent

Nurpur September 23

The Central High-Powered Committee (CHPC), constituted on the direction of the apex court, held a meeting with the Pong Dam oustees at Fatehpur here today and heard their problems in connection with their rehabilitation in Rajasthan.

Before holding the meeting, the CHPC faced the wrath of the oustees who expressed resentment against the state and Rajasthan governments in resolving their longstanding issues.

Amarjeet Singh, chairman of the committee-cum-secretary, Union Ministry of Water Resources, heard the oustees and also expressed sympathy towards their long-pending rehabilitation issues. As many as 16,000 families in Kangra district had been displaced after construction of the Pong Dam in 1965, but 7,000 families, who were allotted lands in Rajasthan, could not be rehabilitated.

The committee chairman assured the oustees that he would raise these issues with the Government of India and Rajasthan Government. He pointed out that the HP Government had submitted 1,165 cases to the Rajasthan Government for the allotment of land in Rajasthan and the Government of India had directed the Rajasthan Government to intimate the status within 15 days.

He also revealed that the government would contemplate to grant compensation in one go to the oustees on the pattern of Narmada Dam oustees.