Addressing the members who had blocked the road leading to the RGCTP, Brig (retd) Kuldip Singh Kahlon, vice-president of the association, said that the issues raised in an unsigned notice of the UT Administration were questionable and that they were not in conformity with the national policy published in the Gazette of India notification dated October 31, 2007.

Brigadier Kahlon emphasised on the need to have a new policy as it was felt that a national policy must apply to all projects where involuntary displacement takes place and further adverse impact on affected families needs to be assessed in a participatory and transparent manner.

“The process framework includes not only those who directly lose land and other assets but also those who are affected by such acquisition of assets. There is an imperative need to recognise rehabilitation and resettlement issues as intrinsic to the development process, formulated with the active participation of the affected persons, rather than externally-imposed requirements,” he added.

Hardial Singh Johl, another member said that Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy applies to all the projects where involuntary displacement of people takes place, and the claim of administration that the policy basically applies to projects where 400 or more families enmasse are affected is absolutely incorrect portrayal of the provisions infringed in the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007.

Former sarpanch (Manimajra) Shamsher Singh said the UT Administration has already acquired about 400 acres of land for RGCTP, Phase I and II, out of which not more than 20 per cent of the land has been utilised during the last four years.

“Acquisition of additional 272 acres of land for the phase III of RGCTP tantamount to malafide intentions of certain vested interests in the Administration.”