Rawat for land ownership rights to displaced

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat today ordered initiation of a process to grant land ownership rights to those displaced due to development projects like the Tehri dam, saying denial of land ownership rights to them will lead to an increase in cases of land disputes.
Directives to this effect were issued by him at a meeting with senior officials, including Chief Secretary Shatrughna Singh, to review the status of the people displaced by the Tehri dam in the 1970s and Gujjars relocated from areas adjacent to the Rajaji Tiger Reserve.
The displaced were relocated to places like Kalyanpur area of Sitarganj, Pashuklok, Pathri and Sabalgarh.

Rawat said granting ownership rights to the displaced over the land where they have been relocated to is necessary to prevent land dispute cases and the necessary process should be initiated within 15 days after taking legal opinion.
The forest department should issue denotification of Pashulok area within 15 days. It will then be declared as a revenue village by the revenue department in another 15 days, following which the process of settlement will begin, an official release here said.
For those relocated to Kalyanpur area in Sitarganj, the revenue department will send a proposal to the administration within 15 days.

The process of resettlement of Gujjars, displaced due to the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and relocated to Pathri, Gandikhal and Sabalgarh, should also be initiated soon, Rawat said.