Harsh Dev Singh NPP MLA and its chairman has supported the agitation launched by the protesting workers and local people of Chenani,Nashri, Batote and Ramban against the repressive and oppressive policies of the corporate houses who are exploiting the innocent workers in connivance with local administration. Demanding a high level probe into the high handedness of the corporate houses, he sought due compensation besides early re-engagement of terminated workers and immediate release of all those arrested. He said the workers and local people had already been deprived by the corporate Houses of their due share in employment, in legitimate wages due to them as per agreement, land compensation and in allied development activities in the area. He regretted that the people of Chenani, Batote and Ramban tehsils had contributed major part of their land holding for the construction projects, tunnels and hydro power projects in the area but were being neglected, deprived and exploited. He lamented that the people had been, in several cases, unwillingly pested of their small land holdings by the big industrial and commercial houses in the corporate sector without compensating them in a fair and equitable manner. He regretted that the poor, innocent villagers of the said areas had not only been deprived of their due and legitimate compensation, but they had also been declined their due share in employment avenues generated on their lands. He deplored that several of the labourers had been terminated on flimsy grounds causing great unrest in the area.
Strongly advocating the claims of the local youth for absorption in the multi crore and billion dollar projects launched in the area by outside corporate houses including Leighton Welspun, AFCON etc, he called upon the govt. to immediately intervene so as to ensure justice to the aggrieved people. He said that earlier the lands were acquired for Baghliar project and natural resources of the villages of Ramban were exploited without conferring any corresponding benefit to the local people. He said the localities were ignored in all sectors including employment and they were under persistent threats and perpetual hazards associated with the project. He further said that one percent free electricity which was agreed to be given by the Baghliar Project to the local population was also denied. He sought fulfillment of all agreements and due compensation and involvement of the people of affected villages as per the terms of agreement signed by the corporate Houses.Mr. Harsh Dev Singh further called for due share to the people of affected villages in the course of construction of various projects and tunnels by outside Companies including Leighton Welspun, Baghliar, Sawalkot, Sangaldan and Nashri projects.
He strongly rapped the practice adopted by the said companies of importing labourers from outside and demanded due share to the local people. He said that all skilled and technical labour which is available locally should be duly absorbed and the unskilled labourers should by wholly engaged from the affected villages of Chenani, Nashri, Mada, Kud, Mandlote, Sana, Sanasar, Balwas, Shampa, Raghu Nala, Batote, Boon, Ladwal, Peera, Kadma, besides other villages of Ramban and Chanani need to suitably compensated in terms of development and employment.Mr. Singh said that NPP would no longer allow the exploitation of the poor people of the areas by the outside business magnates who are minting money in the said villages at the cost of local poor. He said that despite economic activity having been generated in the said areas, the local people were bereft of its benefit and entire benefit was being reaped by outside commercial houses and outside employees resulting in funds drain outside the State. He called upon the govt. to intervene so as to effectively monitor and regulate the functioning of the said projects and ensure justice to the aggrieved people.