27 displaced Fatehabad families to get plots

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 3

After razing their houses at Hasanga village of Fatehabad in Haryana, the district authorities have now initiated steps to rehabilitate the 27-odd uprooted families by giving them 100-yard plots for construction of houses.

Rajesh Koth, District Development and Panchayat Officer (DDPO), Fatehabad, today said a meeting of the gram sabha had been convened for January 5 to take up the matter.

“We have convinced villagers and the elected members of the panchayat to pass a resolution for providing 100-yard plots to the uprooted families. Once the gram sabha passes the resolution, it will be sent to the state government for approval,” said Koth.

Under Rule 13-A of the Punjab Village Common Land Rules 1964, the gram sabha, with the concurrence of the state government, can give 100-yard plots for residential purposes to landless people.

The district authorities swung into action after The Tribune had reported in these columns on Sunday that Fatehabad authorities had razed the houses of 27 families built on encroached land in Hsanga village.

The report described how hapless women and children had been living in the open after their houses were demolished.

At least five children had taken ill due to cold weather and among those living in the open was a newborn who came to the world on the day of the demolition drive.

“We have provided temporary shelter to these families in the village primary health centre so that they could save themselves from cold weather,” Koth said. He said blankets and warm clothes had also been provided to the affected families to save themselves from the cold weather.