The families displaced by the construction of the Bhakra dam continue to wait for the ownership of the promised land grants in the Bilaspur district of Himachal Pradesh.
The Bhakra Nangal multipurpose dams, built on the Satluj river, were one of the earliest river valley projects undertaken in post-independent India and completed in the early 1970s.
The dam affected a total of 11,777 families and at least 205 villages in Bilaspur, according to Nand Lal Sharma, president of Gramin Bhakra Visthapit Sudhar Samiti. However, some of them were not granted land as promised under the resettlement and rehabilitation of Bhakra Dam oustees (Grant of Land) Scheme 1971. Sharma stated that 3,600 families were promised land in Haryana but about 740 families returned as they weren't accommodated. Many of the families who returned, settled on forestland without titles, where they continue to live and farm. According to him, the state authorities did not object to the settlements in the forests at that time. Sharma also emphasised the eligibility of these families for individual and community rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006.
While the families continued to live on the forestlands without rehabilitation, the threat of displacement reemerged for them following a state High Court order in 2015.
On April 06, 2015, the High Court passed an order to evict the encroachers on forestland. According to Sharma, the state authorities cut the water and electricity connections of at least 50 households and served notice to 250 families to provide proof against encroachment or face eviction.
The affected families hold the state government accountable for their woes. They accuse the state for poorly implementing the rehabilitation and resettlement scheme for the displaced, subsequent land regularisation policy and the FRA.
Earlier, in 2013, the state had notified a special policy to regularise the encroachments in New Bilaspur Town (NBT) following a High Court order. In July 2015, the state chief minister announced a policy to regularise “encroached” plots and allocate 150 square metre lands to the displaced. A 2016 news report stated that 1,051 applicants are pending for allocation of 150 square metre plots in forestland.
In August 2019, the state government announced the formulation of a special committee to submit a report in three months on how to resolve the problems of the Bhakra oustees. It also extended the submission of claims for land regulation until November. However, the state is yet to settle the applications it received.
In the meantime, the Samiti has continued to hold public meetings and raise concerns over the issues related to the rehabilitation of the Bhakra outsees in rural areas. They allege that these families continued to lack access to basic amenities. In January 2020, they asked the state to formulate a distinct policy for the rural displaced. According to the news report, 454 families continue to live without electricity and water connections.
In September, MLA Ram Lal Thakur raised the question over delay in rehabilitation of displaced families in the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly. As per a news report, in the same month, the Samiti decided to form village-level committees to persuade Bhakra ousrees to seek legal recognition of their forest rights under FRA.
In March 2021, the Samiti again urged the state government to immediately settle the cases of Bhakra outsees. At present, the future of the affected families remains uncertain.
Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Demand for rehabilitation
Demand for promised land
Demand for legal recognition of land rights
Complaint against procedural violations
Other Demand/Contention of the Affected Community
Region Classification
Rural
Type of Land
Common and Private
Forest
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Details of sources (names of accused, names and numbers of any lawyers, names of any police officers contacted)
Status of Project
Project completed
Original Project Deadline
Whether the Project has been Delayed
Significance of Land to Land Owners/Users
Residential area, Agricultural land
Whether the project was stalled due to land conflict
Source/Reference
Total investment involved (in Crores):
₹
Type of investment:
Year of Estimation
Has the Conflict Ended?
No
When did it end?
Why did the conflict end?
Categories of Legislations Involved in the Conflict
Central/State Government Policy, Forest and Scheduled Area Governance Laws
Legislations/Policies Involved
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.
Whether claims/objections were made as per procedure in the relevant statute
What was the claim(s)/objection(s) raised by the community?
What was the Decision of the Concerned Government Department?
Legal Processes and Loopholes Enabling the Conflict:
Non-rehabilitation of displaced people
Forced evictions/dispossession of land
Non-implementation/violation of FRA
Delay in allottment and possession of land/property
Legal Status:
Out of Court
Status of Case In Court
Whether any adjudicatory body was approached
No
Name of the adjudicatory body
Name(s) of the Court(s)
Case Number
Main Reasoning/Decision of court
Major Human Rights Violations Related to the Conflict:
Whether criminal law was used against protestors:
No
Reported Details of the Violation:
Date of Violation
Location of Violation
Government Departments Involved in the Conflict:
State Forest department, Bilaspur District Magistrate, Bhakra Bias Management Board (BBMB )
PSUs Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Government Authorities for Comments?
No
Name, Designation and Comment of the Government Authorities Approached
Corporate Parties Involved in the Conflict:
Did LCW Approach Corporate Parties for Comments?
N/A
Communities/Local Organisations in the Conflict:
Gramin Bhakra Visthapit Sudhar Samiti
What was the action taken by the police?
How many people did the police detain or arrest?
What is the current status of the detained/accused persons?
Did the person face any violence while in police custody?
If any arrests took place, were the accused persons produced before a judge within 24 hours of the arrest?
If the accused was not produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, or not produced at all, what were the reasons?
Legislation under which the accused was charged
Was the accused person informed of their right to legal representation? Did the accused person have access to legal aid?
In cases where the accused person approached the court for bail, was bail granted?
Why was bail granted or rejected? If granted, what were the bail conditions and quantum of bail?
Were there any other notable irregularities that took place, or other significant details?
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