Not allocating land to the homeless in the calamity-ravaged hills of Uttarakhand will lead to their exodus to the plains which does not augur well for the border state which is close to China and Nepal, Congress MP Satpal Maharaj said on Wednesday.
"First it was decided to give land to those who lost their homes in the calamity near their original places of residence but later the state government decided to pay them a compensation in cash instead of giving them land.
"In a situation like this, they may move out of the hill districts on a large scale to resettle in rural areas on the outskirts of Dehradun. It would mean large scale migration from the hill districts situated close to India's borders with China and Nepal which will not be good for the country," said Maharaj, a Congress MP from Paudi Garhwal in a statement. He had recently announced his decision to not to contest the Lok Sabha elections alleging neglect of people of his constituency.
"Besides its strategic implications, stopping migration from the hills is also necessary to preserve the culture, civilisation and the dialects of the hills," he said. Reiterating his commitment to the all round development of the hills, he said he has been raising his voice over issues confronting the hills and will continue to do so.
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