No forced acquisition for Shimla’s Jathiya Devi township: PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh

Shimla: Public works department (PWD) minister and Shimla Rural MLA Vikramaditya Singh on Thursday asserted that the state govt would not acquire even a single inch of land without the consent of local residents for the proposed Jathiya Devi satellite township near Jubbarhatti airport — about 22 km from Shimla.The statement came amid strong opposition from the Bagi village panchayat, which represents residents of eight villages — Mashla, Chalan, Kyargi, Panjari, Shilaila, Patti, Shilu and Odi — and passed a resolution on Jan 10 rejecting any land acquisition for the project and demanding its immediate withdrawal.
Addressing villagers' concerns, he clarified that any land required for the township would be obtained only through mutual negotiations and with the consent of landowners. While reiterating the govt's commitment to planned development and the need to establish cities and satellite townships outside Shimla, he stressed that such initiatives cannot be pursued at the cost of farmers and orchardists. Protecting the interests of agriculturists and horticulturists, he said, is his responsibility as the local MLA.The minister recalled that during the earlier Congress govt led by his father, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, nearly 260 bighas of land was acquired through land pooling and transferred to the Himachal Pradesh Housing and Urban Development Authority (HIMUDA). An MoU was also signed with a Singapore-based firm to develop the township, but the project failed to materialise and remained stalled even during the subsequent BJP govt.Efforts are now underway to revive the project, with town and country planning minister Rajesh Dharmani actively involved. However, residents objected to proposals for acquiring an additional 1,200 bighas, including private and shamlat land, particularly opposing compulsory acquisition under Section 12 of the act. Vikramaditya said he conveyed the panchayat's concerns to the HIMUDA chief executive officer and reaffirmed that development will proceed only with public consent, ruling out any forced land acquisition. MSID:: 127142430 413 |