BOLENG, 2 Oct: The Siang District Headquarter Settlement Committee has sought written information from the Siang DC within a month regarding acquisition of the donated land for establishing the district headquarters.
The committee said that “some group or clans are not ready to part with the already donated land to the government and are legally claiming back and occupying their private lands.”
As per the deed of agreement between the government and the land donors, the committee said, the government should acquire 10,000 hectares. “But things are not going as per the deed of agreement,” it said. The committee added that “former DC Rajiv Takuk and MP Tapir Gao had given assurance to expedite the land acquisition process but none of them fulfilled their assurance.”
It claimed that Boleng is not feasible for establishment of the district headquarters of Siang for many reasons.
“The proposed site for the construction of the mini civil secretariat is not having sufficient area and no scope for further extension in future,” it said.
“Further, the proposed area for establishment of the district hospital (DH) too is not a permanent land,” it said. “Being situated at the confluence
of the Siang and the Simang rivers, the proposed area is being eroded every year during monsoon season,” the committee said, and recalled the horrible situation created after the flashfloods of 11 June, 2000 and 26 and 27 August this year.
The committee stated that the area was submerged by floodwater in the 2000 Siang flashflood.
Stating that the location of the DH should be at a permanent place, the committee said that “the ongoing construction of the DH in Punying area and other government establishments should be stopped immediately until the land acquisition and demarcation of the land acquired or to be acquired with proper boundaries are finalized.”
It said that Punying area being a place for angling and tourism, “setting up of the hospital there would pollute the environment, affecting such activities.”
