46 years on, displaced families in U’khand await land ownership

Bageshwar: Nearly five decades after being displaced for an industrial project in Bageshwar's Jhiroli area, 174 families are still battling for ownership rights over land allotted to them during rehabilitation.In 1979, land was acquired from the Jhiroli area of Bageshwar district for the Almora Magnesite Ltd factory, following which families from Matela and Billori villages were relocated to Kalyanpur in Sitarganj of Udham Singh Nagar district, where each family was promised an acre of land. However, 46 years later, several families claim they have yet to receive bhumidari (land ownership) rights.Residents allege that during the 2018 land settlement process, their names and plot numbers were changed, resulting in their exclusion from revenue records. "Our names disappeared from the records after the new settlement. Without documents, we cannot claim ownership," said Hemant Rautela, one of the affected villagers.He added that portions of land belonging to some families were encroached upon, with some plots reduced in size and others transferred to govt accounts, including land allegedly taken over by the jail administration. Rautela also claimed that land allotted for housing at the time of displacement is now untraceable.Saraswati Devi, another displaced resident, expressed frustration over the missing housing plots originally promised. "There are fears of a major irregularity. Even the land for which we were issued pattas now appears to be shrinking," she said.Villagers fear that delays could result in huge economic losses. Devendra Singh, a resident, said a special govt order had granted them a year to secure ownership by paying charges calculated at 2004 circle rates. "If the administration fails to correct the records within the stipulated period, we may have to pay at current circle rates, which could amount to Rs 20–25 lakh per acre. For economically weak families like ours, that is impossible," he said.The affected families have sought intervention from Kumaon commissioner Deepak Rawat, demanding restoration of revenue records and immediate grant of ownership rights.Responding to the matter, the Sitarganj tehsil administration assured that the issue will be resolved soon and the matter would be reviewed at the highest level. The Kumaon commissioner said the revenue department would be directed to examine the issue and a meeting would be convened to find a solution.For the displaced families, however, the prolonged delay has deepened frustration. "We have waited 46 years. If justice is not delivered soon, we will be forced to launch a large-scale protest," they warned.