Left affiliated HKS took over four lane affected farmers agitation
Ten years old Four lane affected agitation is took over by left affiliated Himachal Kisan Sabha as the earlier leader of this movement Brigadier Khushal Thakur joined the ruling party and in the fray for Mandi Lok Sabha bye-election. A new committee was constituted by the protesting farmer recently to fight for the cause of thousands of farmers who are affected under land Acquisition for four lane and other projects in he state.
HKS held a meeting at Mandi recently to intensify the agitation after Jai Ram Government and Centre Government did not agreeto provide four time compensation under Land Acquisition Act 2013, state president of HKS Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar said.
We held a state level farmers demonstration rally at Mandi on Oct 22 demanding to implement the provision factor two in which four times compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 .
CPI(M) Zila Parsidhan Member from Joginder Nagar Mr Khushal Bhardwaj said that protest demonstration being held on the issues of land acquisition affected farmers. He said that Mandi district committee of HKS is making extensive preparations and for this mobilized farmers from every area including Sundernagar, Balh, Drang, Jogindernagar, Siraj, Sadar, Sarkaghat and Dharampur.
To make the farmer protest successful the district unit of HKS convened a meeting Oct 16 in Mandi. Dr Tanwar and Mr Bhardwajin separate press statements said that State Government have reduced circle rates of the acquired land which amount to looting farmers and rendering them workless by displacing them.
Bhardwaj said that for the first time many organizations affected by various project would come under the banner of one platforum to press the the problems being faced by the affected families due to forelane, electricity and other projects, power towers, airports or any other work.
This agitation seemed to be held at the time when Four lane protest committee President Br Khushal Thakur joined theruling party for Mandi Lok Sabha however he could not ensure the full implementation of Land Acquisition Act-2013 to the affected farmers.
Dr Tanwar who is the state president of HKS said that 4-lane, and 63 national highways have been proposed to built by the National Highway Authority of India in the state. Apart from this, land is being acquired for tower line, railway line and other construction works, but the state is not implementing the Land Acquisition Act-2013.
He said that State and Centre is misleading farmers as the former is not ready to provide factor two compensation and the latter is talking about implementing Factor-2 (four times compensation) from 2018 as per the Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Land Acquisition Act-2013.
”Even after four years of coming to power in the ruling BJP is bent on ruining the farmers by acquiring their land at penny costwithout taking any decision in favor of the farmers in Himachal. ” Farmer leader said and alleged said that in fact government
want to repeal the factor two provision of 2013 Act by manipulating the farmers.
Affected farmers are demanding compensation of the acquired land by fixing its price under Land Acquisition Act 2013 moreoverdisplaced and affected farmers should be provided houses and land and those affected by construction of tunnels should provide the compensation .
HKS said that notification of five meter control width and TCP with the proposed four lane should be canceled from the project and pending cases against the farmers in the court should be disposed of soon.
The farmer said that pedestrian and underground roads, toilets, contact roads, tea points, telephone lines , power lines, water wells, hand pumps, roads to temples and crematoriums should be restored and 70 percent employment should be ensured to the affected.
Terming the BJP anti-farmer They said that the ruling Government wants to snatch the farmers’ land at the cost of a penny price would notbe tolerated at all.
Farmers and affected people from Nurpur (Kangra district to Rohtang(Kullu) and from Una to Rohru and Kinnaur would take partin protest meetings . They appealed affected people of Pathankot Mandi Fourlane of Mandi district other land acquisition in future to participate in the demonstration.