Six years, no justice: Navy jawan loses land, home to soil erosion

Rajiv Mahajan

The house of Indian Navy jawan Suram Singh damaged by soil erosion after the Jabbar rivulet changed course at Khadehtar village in Danni panchayat of Nurpur.

After six years of relentless struggle, Suram Singh, a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) in the Indian Navy and resident of Khadehtar village in Danni gram panchayat, has lost more than 60 kanal of fertile agricultural land and his pucca house to soil erosion caused by a massive landslide — a disaster worsened by bureaucratic apathy and delayed administrative response.

Suram Singh’s ordeal began in August 2019, when a landslide near his residence altered the course of the Jabbar rivulet, turning it towards his farmland and house. Since then, he has been witnessing progressive erosion of his land and orchards. The recent three days of relentless rainfall proved devastating, causing his house to collapse and forcing his family to take shelter in a neighbour’s home.

While serving in the Indian Navy, Singh had invested around Rs 40 lakh of his hard-earned savings to build a house in his native village. However, the landslide dramatically changed his life. “After the rivulet changed course, I immediately approached the local administration. The then Deputy Commissioner of Kangra, Nurpur SDM and even former MLA Rakesh Pathania visited the site and acknowledged the threat to my property. I was assured of help, including alternative land allotment for constructing a new house, but nothing materialised,” he told The Tribune.

During his deputation to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in 2019 under the Jai Ram Thakur government, Singh managed to prompt action from the state government. Following his second reminder, government officials identified land for rehabilitation and began the process for exchange of his 25 kanal of damaged land. He collected all necessary No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and completed the formalities, after which a file was submitted to the Revenue Department through the Kangra DC.

But despite following up personally at the Secretary Revenue Department in February last year, Singh says the file remains untouched. “After waiting for more than three years, my file is still gathering dust. I have now lost everything — my house, my land and my hope,” he said with anguish. He has now appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene and ensure land allotment in lieu of what he has lost.

Nurpur SDM Arun Sharma, who recently took charge, confirmed that Singh’s family had been shifted to a safer location and that the matter had been escalated to higher authorities. “All possible assistance will be provided to the affected family,” he said.

He said another family in Tika Nagrota, belonging to Nek Ram, was temporarily relocated to a government school building on Saturday, following similar threats from landslides in the area.