Shri Anandpur Sahib MP, Senior National Spokesperson of Indian National Congress & Former Union Information & Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today led a delegation of the residents of Nangal township to meet the Chairman of the Bhakra Beas Management Board, Sanjay Srivastava and other senior officials to resolve the issue of shops and houses constructed on leased land in Nangal township from 1946 onwards.Tewari said, the construction of Bhakra Dam commenced even before Independence of the country.In November 1944 an agreement to that effect was signed between the then Revenue Minister of Punjab Sir Chotu Ram and the Raja of Bilaspur.Nangal township was set up to provide housing and other amenities to those involved in the construction of the Dam. All the residents & shopkeepers were provided land on lease as all the land for the Project had been acquired by the Irrigation Department of the then Government of undivided Punjab .He said the original lease expired in 1995 and it had to be renewed.
Various efforts were made in 1995 , 2003, 2010 and 2018 but because of differences between the expectations of local residents and shopkeepers with the terms that BBMB was offering the matter could not be resolved despite kosher intentions on all sides .The MP and Former Union Minister further said, the issue is unfortunately pending settlement since then.Today, accompanied by a delegation of residents and traders of Nangal, Tewari met the Chairperson of BBMB and other members to get the issue conclusively settled once for all . A tentative understanding was arrived that the issue could be settled after the local residents and shopkeepers suggest pragmatic amendments to the terms of regularization proposed by the BBMB in 2018. That would act as the base document for further negotiations between the shopkeepers, residents, Representatives of Nangal township and the BBMB .They will explore the possibility of mutually arriving at an acceptable modus-vivendi in a spirit of constructive cooperation so that the issue can be resolved. We’re this to fructify it would provide relief to thousands of residents and traders settled in Nangal town for over seven decades.
Tewari strongly requested the BBMB management to take a humane , compassionate and magnanimous approach to accommodate the concerns of the shopkeepers and residents for sorting out the issue, saying it is now the third and fourth generation of people who are living in the township. Neither do not have any permanent claim over the properties they had been occupying for 70 long years and the outstanding lease issue was like the perennial sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of all those who are living there for over 7 decades now .He hoped the issue will be resolved once for all since it concerns the home and hearth of tens of thousands of people living there for generations now.Tewari was accompanied by Rakesh Nayyar , Pradeep Soni and Ashok Saini and Raman Kanojia who represented the residents of Nanga township.Among others, Pawan Dewan, Ex- Chairman Punjab Large Industrial Development Board, Sanjay Srivastava, Chairman, Er. Harminder Singh, Member (Power), Er. Tarun Agarwal, Secretary, Er. CP Singh, Chief Engineer/Bhakra Dam, Deputy chief Engineer H.L Kamboj were also present.