SHIMLA: Pong dam is the Hiroshima of Himachal Pradesh, independent MLA from Dehra, Hoshiyar Singh said during the winter session of the legislative assembly on Wednesday. While equating the dam oustees with Hiroshima victims, he said just like the atom bomb dropped at Hiroshima killed 70,000 people in Japan, Pong dam displaced 2.5 lakh people when its construction began in 1972.Questioning the failure of Rajasthan government to allot land to people who gave theirs for the construction of dam, he said, "Till date, we are running from pillar to post to seek justice. Thousands of cases are pending in the courts of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh." He said people whose land was acquired for dam were allotted plots along the Pakistan border in Rajasthan and that half of the allotted plots were in Pakistan."We have become refugees in our own state," the MLA said while raising the issue under rule-130 in the state assembly. An oustee himself, Hoshiyar Singh said 45 people were killed in Rajasthan while many have been hit by bullets on their legs while taking possession on land. He said that process to acquire land for the construction of dam was started in 1965 and process to allot the land in Rajasthan commenced in 1972."It is very unfortunate that we were ruined before being rehabilitated," he said, and added that "people who gave their land for the dam are facing litigations in the courts of Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Jaipur and Shimla".At the time of land acquisition, number of the displaced people was 2 lakh, but it has now risen to 4-5 lakh and they are spread over 10 assembly constituencies of Pragpur, Jaswan, Dehra, Jawali, Fatehpur, Nagrota Bagwan, Palampur and Dharamshala. He said considering their number, state government should issue a notification to rehabilitate oustees in Himachal Pradesh. Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur replied that since the formation of his government, efforts were being made at different levels, as in past the matter had not been taken up seriously at official level. He said 75,2668 acres of land was acquired. Out of the 339 villages, complete acquisition of land was done in 226 villages while partial acquisition was done in 116 villages of Dehra and Nurpur tehsils of Kangra district , the CM said. He said that 20,722 families were affected out of whom 16,352 were found eligible for the allotment of land in Rajasthan.Thakur said eligibility certificates were issued to 15,124 oustees while 1,228 did not apply. He said that according to the direction of high court, eligibility certificates have been issued to 353 dam oustees and the file has been sent to Rajasthan government.He said that Rajasthan government till date has allotted plots to 12,027 dam oustees of which 1,188 plots were cancelled.

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