Excelsior Correspondent
RAMBAN, Nov 9: The 37 families affected by the massive Dhalwas landslide along National Highway-44 on March 28-29, 2020, have written to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, seeking his personal intervention to ensure the release of their long-pending compensation and rehabilitation package.
In their letter to the Minister, the victims from Panchayat Dhalwas, District Ramban, alleged that the March 2020 landslide was a ‘development-driven disaster’ caused by unscientific hill cutting, faulty planning and illegal dumping of debris during the widening of National Highway by the construction firm Gammon India and its contractors.
The landslide, which occurred on March 28-29, 2020, destroyed 37 residential houses and caused nearly 50 acres of farmland to slide down the slope, resulting in massive property loss for local farmers.
The affected families claimed that soon after the incident, the then Deputy Commissioner Ramban, accompanied by the SSP and Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), visited the site and promised immediate relief and rehabilitation but now more than four years have passed, no compensation reached them.
A team from Geological Survey of India also reported the landslide due to earth cutting and dumping of muck during the four-laning of NH-44 at Dhalwas.
The displaced families have been living in temporary shelters, including Panchayat Ghars, government schools and rented private buildings but the victims now allege that the administration has now stopped paying rent, worsening their plight.
“The financial condition of the farmers is miserable. Many of us lost both land and homes. Education of our children has been badly affected and some of our children have even dropped out of school,” said Rohit Sharma, one of the affected villagers.
The victims, led by Shadi Lal and Rohit Sharma, have urged Union Minister Gadkari to direct the concerned authorities to expedite the process of providing full compensation and rehabilitation of all the 37 affected families.
Landslide victims said, despite multiple communications between the District Administration Ramban, NHAI and the UT Government, the compensation amount of Rs. 29.77 crore sanctioned for rehabilitation remains unreleased.
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