Rasin Dam
Chitrakoot district, Karwi Block, Rasin village. Devsharan tells us, ‘The Rasin Dam was built five years ago. Hundreds of peoples’ irrigated lands were taken away. The government hasn’t given us compensation for our land, trees or homes. People have to work as labour since they don’t have their own land. Even if we labour, we don’t get work every day. The government has done us grievous harm by building the dam. We have been demanding our compensation every month, protesting to the District Magistrate, the Additional District Magistrate, but no one hears our complaints.’
The DM Balkar Singh spoke to a Khabar Lahariya reporter, stating that once the money for the compensation gets sanctioned from the government, people will be recompensed.
Ramkishor, of Rasin village, said twelve bighas of his land had been taken for the dam. He cultivated arhar dal and wheat on his land. The government gave him 22500 rupees in compensation for one bigha of land, and for the other 11 bighas he received nothing. ‘Hundreds of farmers like me have lost their land to the dam.’ Kaira Prasad and Rampal said, ‘After the dam has been built, we are afraid night and day that floods will come. The government gets these dams made so that people have access to irrigation, so that the dam will help in storing water, but we have felt no such advantage.’
Similarly, in Raipura village of Manikpur Block, Chitrakoot, Gunta dam was built 20 years ago. Around eight villages were taken for this project. The dam was built on 1000 bighas of land. Inspite of demands to the DM and the Irrigation Department, compensation has not been given in exchange for all the land taken. Ramkripal and Jagat Pal of Laudhiya Batkhara village said, ‘We have land in Gauhara Pahi hamlet. With the loss of our land, our homes and farms have gone.’ (…)