RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.19: Delay in payment of compensation against land acquisition is anti-national.
Union tribal affairs minister Arjun Munda observed this while presiding over a biennial meeting of District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (Disha), organised at the Sri Krishna Institute of Public Administration in the heart of Jharkhand capital.
Disha is being formed with a view to fulfilling the objective of ensuring better coordination among all the elected representatives in Parliament, State Legislature, and Local Governments (Panchayati Raj Institutions/Municipal Bodies) for efficient and time-bound development of districts in our country. Thus those present on the occasion included all the MLAs, MPs and Mayor, senior administrative officers of the district administration besides deputy commissioner Chhavi Ranjan.
Munda’s observation came during a discussion on a problem arising in the construction of an underpass near Raidih More due to a delay in payment of compensation against land acquisition.
“It is getting difficult to get land. Once someone gave his land for any ambitious project of the country delaying his payment of compensation is anti-national. It is like obstructing the progress of a nation,” Munda said, directing all the officials associated with land acquisition work for any project to sort the issue with locals organizing camps.
Earlier, Munda reviewing the Jal Jeevan Mission directed the officials to ensure that each household of the district not only gets tap but also the regular supply of water from it. For this, he suggested they use geographical data.
“Please ensure properly from which source water will be taken and ascertain that perennial sources of water do not get affected,” Munda said.
Underlining the importance of perennial sources of water, he presented examples of Kanke, Hatia and Rukka Dam, from where water is supplied in the city, and asked concerned officials to ensure how many perennial sources of water of these dams were then when they were constructed and home many of those perennial sources exist at present.
Informing about the gravity of proper implementation of the plan of supplying tap water to each household he said laughing: “Aap Thik Se Pani Pilaia Nahi to Log Apko Pani Pila Dega.”
Reviewing the development of the vaccination programme, Munda asked officials to achieve the target of 80 percent soon. Explaining the reason behind the hurry, he said: “In case a third wave comes, people taking the vaccination lightly will start turning up in big numbers, and in that case, people start cursing either representatives or public servants.”
During the discussion on the matter of vaccination, Ranchi MLA C.P.Singh drew the attention of Munda regarding the use of the photo of chief minister Hemant Soren on the vaccination card while non-use of the Prime Minister’s picture on the vaccination card.
“When the picture of Soren is used on the vaccination card given to beneficiary after vaccination as he paid for vaccine why not the picture of PM Modi is being used when the latter is paying for the vaccine at present,” Singh questioned.
The suggestion came after it was informed to him that 40 percent of the targeted population has been vaccinated in the urban area of the district while 60 percent of the targeted population has been vaccinated in rural areas of the district so far.
Reviewing the union government’s plan of distributing 5kg food grain to each person in the wake of Covid-19, Munda directed the district supply officer to do inventory management properly to ensure how much food grain was lifted and how much was distributed among beneficiaries. The direction came as a number of local MLAs said during the meeting that beneficiaries are not given the quantity allotted to them.
Munda on the occasion also gave direction to forest department officials to ensure immediate payment in case of destruction of crop fields by wild elephants and delivery of land papers to eligible persons under Forest Rights Act besides directing them to protect Khutkatti right at any cost.
“Land belongs to the government but its management in the forest is the right of the Gram Sabha. Thus there should not be a delay in giving permission for construction of hospital, police station and other necessary government buildings,” Munda said.
While reviewing the work of the Jharkhand State Livelihood Promotion Society, Munda asked the concerned officials to ascertain how far self-help groups (SHG) created by JSLPS have helped improve cropping. “It is required to see whether the villagers are still taking one crop or if the number of cropping has increased. If the number is the same, we cannot say the purpose of JSLPS was fulfilled,” he said.
Several problems were also raised during the meeting and Munda suggested ways to sort out the same with proper coordination.
Silli MLA Sudesh Mahto and Mandar MLA Bandhu Tirkey said names of many eligible candidates have been dropped from the beneficiary list, one which was given to revisit the location of beneficiaries whose names have been dropped to ascertain the reason due to which it happened.
On the complaint of irregular supply of water in Ratu Road area of Ranchi, Munda directed the executive engineer of the department to ensure the reason behind the same and for this, he was asked to prepare a chart of a month informing about the power cut at Rukka Dam.
On the complaint of Kanke MLA Samri Lal regarding non-supply of water in three blocks, Kanke, Burmu and Khelari, of his constituency, Munda directed the officials of the concerned department to visit the blocks and ensure what is wrong there.
On the complaint regarding improper arrangement at the vaccination centre, Munda directed to ensure that people do not get deprived of civic amenities there and there should be proper arrangement for water and other allied facilities for the people turning up there.
Munda on the occasion took strong exception to the absence of officials of the municipal corporation and asked the deputy commissioner to mention in the proceedings that the officials of municipal corporation remained absent without any prior information.
Disha could monitor the implementation of the programmes in accordance with prescribed procedures and guidelines and promote synergy and convergence for greater impact. The Disha supersedes the District Vigilance & Monitoring Committee currently mandated by the Ministry of Rural Development.
