Locals stop bhumi pujan for Baddi-Chandigarh rail line project

Ambika Sharma

Solan, July 28

The much-awaited Baddi-Chandigarh rail line project work hit a roadblock today when villagers of Shitalpur protested its bhumi pujan on the plea that they were being given lesser compensation. Railway officials, who had come to Sheetalpur for performing bhumi pujan, faced the ire of the villagers.

An aggrieved farmer Dinesh Kaushal said as against the rate of Rs 25 lakh granted for a bigha of land in 2008-2009, the authorities were granting Rs 18 lakh for its adjoining land which was unjust.

Another farmer, Man Singh Mehta, contended that the railways had negotiated to pay Rs 67 lakh per bigha but they were offered Rs 37 lakh by the land acquisition authorities. The state government, however, chose to consider the circle rates for land acquisition which was brought down to Rs 18 lakh per bigha.

They blamed the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition for the loss. They contended that the land had not been demarcated and more land was being acquired than the compensation for the land paid. They demanded acquisition of land whose compensation has been paid.

They said they would gherao the officials while resisting all efforts to begin work by the railways.

SDM Nalagarh Mahendra Pal said the local administration had no knowledge about bhumi pujan for the rail project. A compensation of Rs 146 crore has been disbursed to land owners. The process to acquire left-out land was yet to begin as the notification from the railways was awaited. Once the notification is issued, compensation would be paid.

He said locals, who had doubts about excess land having been acquired, can get the land demarcated to address their concerns.

Sanctioned in 2007-08, the broad gauge project has been delayed mainly due to acquisition issues and Haryana’s refusal to pool in resources.

The Ministry of Railways had notified the link as a special project in 2019 to speed up acquisition. The rail line would be 27.95-km long, with 3.05-km stretch falling in Himachal and the rest 24.9 km in Haryana. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,672.70 crore, with 50 per cent share being borne by each state and the Centre.

Given less compensation

Villagers of Shitalpur protested bhumi pujan on the plea that they are being given lesser compensation