Pong turns 50, but no joy for families that lost homes for it

Raghav Guleria

Dharamsala, June 29

As the Pong Dam turns 50 on June 30, the ‘Pong Bandh Visthapit Samiti’ has chosen Haripur in the Dehra constituency to reassert the pending issues of the rehabilitation of the oustees.

Sources said the time and the venue were the most appropriate as Dehra was in the middle of a byelection, with high-profile leaders engaged in electioneering here. It is expected that the Chief Minister and the Revenue Minister would listen to the outstanding demands of people, who sacrificed their life’s belongings to quench the thirst of Rajasthan way back in the early Seventies.

1 lakh people displaced

• Pong Dam, built on the Beas, witnessed the worst-ever dislocation wherein over 1 lakh people, 20,000 families living a bountiful life in over 400 villages, got permanently uprooted
• Only around 5,000 families have been properly rehabilitated so far, while 6,355 families are still waiting for a miracle to happen
• The entire area, part of the erstwhile Guler state, was popularly known as the granary of Kangra district
• A large number of the oustees, now residing around Gaggal, are on the threshold of yet another dislocation to pave the way for the Airport expansion

The Samiti is asking the government for a one-time settlement and land from the state land pool. At present, all their efforts are centred to convince the government to support the organisation in the case listed for hearing in the Supreme Court on July 22.

As many as 20,772 families were displaced, of which only 16,352 were fortunate enough to be considered eligible for the allotment of land. Of these, only around 5,000 families have been properly rehabilitated so far, while 6,355 families are still waiting for a miracle to happen. Talking to The Tribune, the executive members of the Samiti, in one voice, said the previous state governments had not shown interest in resolving their genuine issues.

The tales connected to this unprecedented displacement are hard to hear. The displaced feel that the compensation they received was too meagre and the promises made were unrealistic.

Talking to The Tribune, Hans Raj Chaudhary, president of the Samiti, said, “I was just 17 when our family left our ancestral home. We had fertile land with uninterrupted irrigation facility. The life was so vibrant that at times we go back in our dreams to the houses we left and wake up suddenly with a realisation that these are now submerged under the lake waters.”

The Pong Dam, built on the Beas, witnessed the worst-ever dislocation wherein over one lakh people — 20,000 families — living a bountiful life in over 400 villages got permanently uprooted.

The entire area, part of the erstwhile Guler state, was popularly known as the granary of Kangra district. A network of water channels provided uninterrupted water to the fields and because of its nearness to Punjab, agriculture was highly developed.

In the words of Hans Raj Chaudhary, “The massive Kuru Kuhal on the Beas irrigated all the fields at Dola, Muhara, Balla, Panjbad, Kohli, Balta and Batt. The lush green fields between the Beas and the Baner were Himachal’s Doab.”

The magnanimity of the “Bathu ki Ladi”, earlier popular as Badri Vishal Temple and dedicated to Lord Vishnu, which appears in the Pong waters every summer, gives an estimation of the prosperity and richness of people residing there.

Experts opine that Haldoon valley was the epicentre with most developed agriculture, which the people still remember with a sense of pride. Just by mere scattering, the grains in the field could reap a rich harvest. A large number of the oustees, now residing around Gaggal, are on the threshold of yet another displacement to pave way for the Airport expansion.

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