Balh activists seek Guv’s help to shift airport site

Mandi, November 30

The Balh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti have sought the intervention of Governor Bandaru Dattatreya for shifting the site of the proposed airport in the Balh valley, Mandi, to another place. As the state government is moving ahead to construct the airport, farmers are getting more vocal about their opposition to the project.

Farmers of the region said the valley was known as “mini-Punjab” because the agricultural land was very fertile there. Vegetable production is the key source of livelihood for the residents of the valley. They said they did not want to lose their source of livelihood for the project.

They said 3,500 bigha land would be acquired for the project, of which only 460 bigha land is government’s while the remaining is private land. It is expected that around 10,000 families will be displaced, they said.

Joginder Walia, president of the Balh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said, “We are seeking the intervention of Governor Bandaru Dattatreya over the issue. We requested the Governor to ask the state government to shift the site of the proposed airport at another place in Mandi, where less people will are affected.”

“It has been observed in the past that governments fail to rehabilitate affected people properly after projects are completed,” he said.

“If the government tries to acquire agricultural land forcefully, the Balh Bachao Sangharsh Samiti will put up a stiff resistance at a mass level,” said Walia. — TNS