Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 27: Aggrieved over alleged forcible possession of their land by the Government to establish SKUAST-J, Animal Husbandry Department, the farmers of village Chatha today called on former Minister and senior Congress leader Raman Bhalla to apprise him of their grievances.
The protesting villagers raised slogans against the Government and demanded adequate compensation against their land besides employment to them as they have no other source of income. The protesting villagers said that they had already submitted their demands to the Government and concerned department against giving the possession to the Government but there was no action on their plea.
“Due to this act of the Government, a large number of farmers and villagers have been rendered totally unemployed as they are fully depend on agriculture to generate their livelihood feed their respective families,” they said and stressed that the Government should have made the arrangements to provide employment to these residents.
The villagers also alleged a big change in land map on the basis of which, the possession was being taken and the same was in contrast to the map released by the concern Deputy Commissioner and the Revenue Department. The Government should order a probe into this scam, they demanded. The villagers asked the Government to fulfill their demand of employment first and then take possession of their land. “If our demands are not conceded, we will not allow the Government to take possession of our land,” they warned and also threatened a massive struggle to get the justice.
Speaking on the occasion, Bhalla said that in the interest of poor and small farmers, J&K Government should take immediate decision in this regard and save the aggrieved poor farmers from starvation in future instead of evicting them from their land by paying meager amount of compensation.
While quoting the farmers, Bhalla said that the latter were ready to give their land but the Government was not offering them genuine compensation. “Compensation ranging from Rs 78000 to Rs 3.20 lakh per kanal is being offered in Jammu, but for a similar project in Kashmir, the State Govt has fixed compensation at the rate of Rs 9.2 lakh per kanal,” he alleged.
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