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| Hiranagar farmers await compensation | | |
SANT KUMAR SHARMA
Srinagar, September 1: Dozens of farmers from Hirangar tehsil of Kathua district have not received compensation for their crops lost between 2001 and 2005. The crops were lost as the Army had acquired their fields located on the international border to lay mines due to tensions with Pakistan.
The Congress MLC, Mr Subhash Gupta, raised the issue of compensation to these farmers in the Legislative Council some days ago. It was listed as starred question number 333 on August 19.
In a written reply, the Agriculture Minister, Mr Ghulam Hassan Mir, admitted that compensation running into crores of rupees has not been disbursed. He blamed non-disbursement on the ``non-completion of formalities by the beneficiaries’’.
Mr Mir also said that the government would disburse the crop compensation as soon as the formalities are completed. He also clarified that a part of compensation could not be paid because of litigation.
The farmers are angry with the government for the delay in disbursement of crop compensation. The farmers of villages like Bobiya, Jhalerian, Sakta Chak and similar other border villages say they have waited too long for the crop compensation.
Pritam Singh, a farmer of Bobiya village, said: ``We should be paid interest on the compensation amount as it is being paid several years after the destruction of crops. The officials have denied us our dues on flimsy grounds.’’
Overall, an amount of Rs 13 crore was due to be paid as crop compensation. Of this, almost 90 per cent amounting to Rs 11.75 crore has already been provided to tehsildar of Hiranagar for disbursement, according to officials.
An amount of Rs 1.3 crore as compensation for state land had stalled the distribution. The entire amount of compensation will now be distributed within the next two to three months, an official in the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Kathua said.
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