Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 2: The Division Bench of High Court today sought response from the State Government and NHPC to a petition filed by villagers of Gurez seeking quashing of rehabilitation and resettlement policy of Government
The Division Bench of Justice MH Attar and Justice Ali Mohammad Magrey while dealing with the petition of inhabitants of villages of Badwan-Wanpora and Mastan Khopri district Bandipora directed the State Government and NHPC to file their response to the contents raised in the petition within four weeks.
The petition has been filed by the villagers through their advocate Altaf Mehraj and the State was represented by Advocate General who sought time from the court for filing of reply and NHPC was represented by their standing counsel Irshad Ahmad Wani.
Petitioners are seeking directions from the court to quash the rehabilitation and resettlement policy of 2015-2016 drafted by the State and its approval in terms of the Cabinet decision bearing No. 171/13/2015 dated 02/12/2015.
They further seek direction upon the respondents to redraft the policy of resettlement and rehabilitation for affected families of the Kishanganga Hydroelectric Project strictly in accordance with the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy 2007 within a limited span of time.
They submitted that the State has until now confused the entire situation of rehabilitation and resettlement of the project affected people.
Court has been apprised that the State earlier accepted the rehabilitation and resettlement plan drafted by University of Kashmir which was submitted to the State by the executing agency. In terms of the said rehabilitation and resettlement plan the University of Kashmir has recommended Rs 2403 lakh for the purpose of carrying out the rehabilitation and resettlement of the petitioners.
They further submitted that the said rehabilitation and resettlement plan shall be inclusive of all the essential components of the lifestyle of the villagers.
They again submitted that resettlement and rehabilitation plan devised by the respondents has not been drafted and adopted in accordance to the National Policy for Rehabilitation and Resettlement 2007. It is pertinent to mention here that in order to suitably rehabilitate the people who are affected by the public purpose projects the Union Ministry of Rural Development Government of India after elaborate discussion and research with respect to the different facets of the adverse impacts of the public interest projects a National Policy for the Rehabilitation and Resettlement was devised and adopted by the Union Ministry.
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