Santanu Saraswati
Massanjore (Dumka), December 31—They are the “Living Dead”.Cheated by Government, influenced by political parties and corrupt revenue officials of their property, most of them are either elderly or widows. However, on papers—revenue records to be precise—they have been declared dead many years ago—when their arable lands were taken up by both the West Bengal and then Bihar Government for the construction of Canada Dam, commonly known as the Massanjore Dam, 30 kilometers away from the main town.This, despite the Patna High Court ordering an investigation and thereafter directing restoration and compensation of their property from both the governments. But even after years of legal battles between the victims and the governments, they were declared “dead” on revenue papers, courtesy the district revenue officials and local politicians of both side—Dumka and Birbhum.The matter came into light when these “deads” formed an organization and placed their demand with the Chief Minister, Babulal Marandi during his return after poll campaigning from Godda. In their plea, the “deads” claimed that, even though their acres after acres of arable land were taken up by the Government, they were neither offered any compensation from them, nor replacement of properties were being paid by the authority as per the contract. Rather, the whole money, were eaten up by the respective district administration officials of Dumka and as an aftermath—“the victims were declared either traceless or dead on official papers.”The letter also states that after the verdict of the Patna High Court, the respective district administration officials have never tried to rectify the land revenue records and as a result, the victims are still left empty handed.The villagers of Raneshwar, Ranibahal, and Asansol—who lost their lands due to the construction of Canada Dam, were promised free electricity and economic packages for compensating their loss. They were also promised of water supply for irrigation system for the land left with them to continue cultivation of aman and aus crops. The dam that used to produce seven-mega watt electricity used to supply five-mega watt power to Suiri and its neighboring villages and the rest two-mega watt to Raneshwar and the other affected areas. These powers were supplied free to the villagers but the cost of production was to share by the then Bihar Government. The Bihar Government had to pay for the daily two-mega watt power supply to the West Bengal State Electricity Board.All were going well till the Rashtriya Janata Dal Government took the charge of Bihar under Laloo Prasad Yadav. The Bihar Government continued to fail making payments for the electricity given for consecutive years and the WSEB owed more than 14 crores of rupees to the former. In 1982 the supply had been snapped and production, too, stopped, leaving the total area of this district into darkness. For the past 15 years, this region has not seen their lamps lighting even though there is power line connections.According to sources in the Chief Minister’s office at Ranchi, the Marandi Government has already assured full support to the victims and compensation to be paid accordingly. The Chief Minister himself visited the affected areas after receiving the plea from the “deads”. Marandi, as sources said, will take up this issue with the West Bengal Government in the first half of the New Year.
EOM.
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