Migration, low payouts leave Tharkot lake land compensation unclaimed in Pithoragarh

Pithoragarh: Dozens of families in five villages of Pithoragarh are yet to receive compensation for land acquired in 2008 for construction of the artificial Tharkot lake, more than 15 years after the process began. Migration, low payout amounts and cumbersome paperwork have delayed closure of the acquisition process in scattered settlements across the border district.Uttarakhand govt acquired land from Fagali, Tharkot, Sirmuda, Gyarhdevi and Toli for the Tharkot lake project, built at a cost of Rs 32 crore and executed by irrigation department. While construction was completed in 2023, compensation linked to the acquisition remains pending for several landowners.Most villagers have received their dues, but 75 landowners are yet to collect compensation amounting to over Rs 12 lakh, said Dhreej Joshi, executive engineer, irrigation department, Pithoragarh. "Notices were issued every year asking villagers to collect the compensation. A final notice has now been served, after which the unclaimed amount will be returned to the department," he said.Migration has been a major factor, said Komal Mehta, a resident. Many families left these villages years ago in search of livelihoods in cities and other states. "Those who migrated did not receive timely information. In some cases, by the time they came to know, they chose not to return," he said, adding that in several cases landowners had died and successors had not completed mutation formalities.Residents also cited the small compensation amounts as a deterrent. "For some people living in metros, the compensation was as little as Rs 5,000. The travel and paperwork cost more than the amount itself," said Naresh Pande, a resident of Gyarhdevi. Lengthy procedures involving land records, identity proof and registry further discouraged villagers from claiming small sums, he added.With the final deadline approaching, officials said responsibility now lies with landowners to complete formalities. For many families who once tilled these hillsides but now live far away, the compensation remains unclaimed, caught between migration, bureaucracy and diminishing returns.