A large number of farmers opposing proposed construction of Greenfield Airport in Balh area of Mandi district held a protest march from Kansa Chowk to SDM office Daduar on Monday under the banner of Balh Bachao Sangharsha Samiti .
The samiti representing thousands of farmers living in the Balh area, who would be displaced after construction of the Airport, demanded it’s shifting to some barren land as more than 3000 bighas fertile private land is likely to be acquired for the project, dislodging nearly 2000 families.
The samiti also submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur drawing his immediate attention to their demands copies of which have been also sent to Prime Minister Narender Modi and the Governor of the state for their intervention in the matter and save the farmers urging them to shift the Airport to some other place as a lot of barren land is available in nearby area.
Addressing a rally held on this occasion Nand Lal Verma Secretary of the samiti said, “It is strange Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, who hails from Mandi district and been visiting the district so frequently has not bothered to hear the plight of the farmers who would be displaced from their homes after losing their most fertile land – a main source of their livelihood.”
Verma said, “The unilateral decision of the government to construct the Airport in Balh valley would prove to be a disaster for thousands of farmers as they would be displaced from their fertile land also known as mini-Punjab as farmers are earning lakhs of rupees every year by growing cash crops in this area which have been developed by their sheer hard work after getting its ownership through Land Tenancy Act (Land Reforms) passed by the state government.”
Speaking on this occasion president of the samiti Joginder Walia said, “The state government is bent upon destroying the farmers of the area by snatching their fertile land for the Airport, displacing a large number of dalit, OBC and minority population.”
He said, “The state government has failed to implement the provisionA of Rehabilitation Act in the state and circle rates of the land are as low as Rs 2.05 lakh per bigha while farmers are earning more than five lakhs in a bigha every year by growing cash crops like tomatoes.”
Paras Ram president of Kissan Sabha said, “The construction of the Airport would destroy nearly 2500 houses and a population of about 13000 would be adversely affected by the move.”
2 thoughts on “Farmers hold protest march demanding shifting of proposed Balh Airport”
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Development is necessary but not on the cost of farmers fertile land. I think balh area of Mandi is among the most fertile agricultural lands of H P. Should be shifted to elsewhere in the district.
Thank you so much sir