Shimla, 22 February 2025 — The Himachal Pradesh government will approach the Centre for special relief to allocate land for Bhakra Dam displaced persons and landless families, Minister for Town and Country Planning Rajesh Dharmani said.
The decision was taken at a District Planning, Development, and 20-Point Programme Review Committee meeting in Bilaspur, where BJP MLAs Randhir Sharma (Naina Devi), Jeet Ram Katwal (Jhanduta), and Trilok Jamwal (Bilaspur) joined government and non-government members in unanimously backing the proposal.
“With most available land falling under forest areas, we decided to seek the Centre’s intervention to ensure land allocation for affected families,” Dharmani said.
The Bhakra Dam project, one of India’s first major river valley developments, submerged 371 villages and displaced over 11,000 families. Many resettled in New Bilaspur Township were later classified as encroachers due to settlement anomalies.
Alongside Bhakra oustees, the government aims to assist landless individuals.
In the first phase, 519 people were identified, with efforts underway to provide land to 40. Authorities received 1,400 applications from landless individuals.
“As a one-time measure, we will request relaxations from the Centre to accommodate Bhakra oustees and landless families,” Dharmani added.
