Cachar locals protest ‘irregularities’ in land compensation for Bharat Mala project

Silchar: Residents of Cachar district's Katigorah assembly constituency have claimed numerous anomalies and corruption in the disbursement of compensation for land acquisition under the Bharat Mala project.Locals have reacted negatively to the large road construction project that aims to improve connectivity throughout India. They say that brokers and intermediaries are preventing them from receiving proper compensation.On Friday, disgruntled locals protested in Fulbari, calling for openness and just compensation. Village-level land revenue officers or patwaris were accused of demanding commissions and giving preference to those who paid bribes, depriving others of just compensation for their destroyed properties.Locals voiced their complaints about the purported relationship between govt officials and brokers. "Those who are paying commission are being cleared, while those who refuse to pay are being denied their rightful compensation," Jahirul Islam Barbhuiya, a protester told the media.Young demonstrator Fatima Begum described her family's experience, saying, "My dad is employed in Shillong. We hurried back home after learning that our house would be razed for the Bharat Mala project. For a house my father had built with Rs 50 lakh of his hard-earned money, we were shocked to learn that we would only get Rs 16 lakh," she added.Although locals are not against growth, Fatima underlined that they cannot put up with the obvious injustice. "It is unethical to deny us our dues, even when we support the growth of our locality. We urge CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and other higher-ranking officials to deal with the corruption that is afflicting this project," she said.The demonstrations in Fulbari are part of a larger upheaval in Katigorah, where homes, storehouses and agricultural land are being cleared every day with little recompense. Locals claim that brokers have ingrained themselves firmly into the system, taking advantage of weaker citizens and obtaining unlawful commissions.The protesters urged state and Central govts to step in and demanded an impartial investigation into the claims. They insisted on fair recompense for all impacted households, commensurate with the properties' market value.Authorities are under increasing pressure to resolve the complaints of Katigorah's citizens and guarantee openness in the execution of these large-scale infrastructure projects as protests become more intense.Silchar: Residents of Cachar district's Katigorah assembly constituency have claimed numerous anomalies and corruption in the disbursement of compensation for land acquisition under the Bharat Mala project.Locals have reacted negatively to the large road construction project that aims to improve connectivity throughout India. They say that brokers and intermediaries are preventing them from receiving proper compensation.On Friday, disgruntled locals protested in Fulbari, calling for openness and just compensation. Village-level land revenue officers or patwaris were accused of demanding commissions and giving preference to those who paid bribes, depriving others of just compensation for their destroyed properties.Locals voiced their complaints about the purported relationship between govt officials and brokers. "Those who are paying commission are being cleared, while those who refuse to pay are being denied their rightful compensation," Jahirul Islam Barbhuiya, a protester told the media.Young demonstrator Fatima Begum described her family's experience, saying, "My dad is employed in Shillong. We hurried back home after learning that our house would be razed for the Bharat Mala project. For a house my father had built with Rs 50 lakh of his hard-earned money, we were shocked to learn that we would only get Rs 16 lakh," she added.Although locals are not against growth, Fatima underlined that they cannot put up with the obvious injustice. "It is unethical to deny us our dues, even when we support the growth of our locality. We urge CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and other higher-ranking officials to deal with the corruption that is afflicting this project," she said.The demonstrations in Fulbari are part of a larger upheaval in Katigorah, where homes, storehouses and agricultural land are being cleared every day with little recompense. Locals claim that brokers have ingrained themselves firmly into the system, taking advantage of weaker citizens and obtaining unlawful commissions.The protesters urged state and Central govts to step in and demanded an impartial investigation into the claims. They insisted on fair recompense for all impacted households, commensurate with the properties' market value.Authorities are under increasing pressure to resolve the complaints of Katigorah's citizens and guarantee openness in the execution of these large-scale infrastructure projects as protests become more intense.