Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said that the state government would not allow any encroachments or regularise such illegal occupied land to those Bhakra Dam oustees who possess four to five bighas of encroached land and they would be provided only 150 square meters of land as per the policy. He was addressing a public meeting at Sihra in Bilaspur district. He said that those cases where land had been encroached more than the laid down norms would also not be considered for regularisation as to settle genuine Bhakra dam oustees was his first priority.The Chief Minister said there were second category of cases wherein few people who were non-oustees came and settled in the Bilaspur town under the garb of oustees after the construction of Bhakra Dam, demanding regularisation of encroachments. This was against the norms and the government would take decision on it as per the law.The genuine oustees who were rendered homeless had been provided land/ plots under the mini settlement, and their plots had also been regularised, he said. The case regarding settlement of Pong Dam oustees had been taken up again with the government of India and if need be, the Pong dam oustees would also be settled as and there under the mini settlement.
The Chief Minister announced up-gradation of Parnali School to High School and announced Rs 2.50 lakh for Mahila Mandal Bhawan at Chanalag.He said that the scrapping of Planning Commission by GoI was rather not advantageous to the Hill States. He expressed hope that the NITI Ayog would consider funding the States in the same ratio and in same pattern as was being done earlier by Planning Commission.Virbhadra Singh said inquiry would be made into the infamous Compact Disc case which had cropped up recently. Clarifying that if need be, the government would get it inquired through CBI, but warned that he was not the man to be cowed down and will not tolerate any sort of threats. He said that besides political life, the leaders and public representatives should also have a respectable private life. The blame that the Chief Minister was behind the revelations of CD was rather quite amazing and abrupt, he added.MLA, Bilaspur Sadar, Shri Bambar Thakur said that the long pending Sihra water supply scheme was listed in MLA priority and thanked the Chief Minister for sanctioning the required amount for it.He lashed out at the previous government for not sanctioning Sihra water supply scheme, failing to upgrade schools of Patta, Sihra, Bandla besides dozen other schools which were upgraded by Shri Virbhadra Singh. He also listed other developments of the area besides providing maximum facilities in Bilaspur hospital including CT Scan. He demanded upgradation of Parnali Middle school, funds for Kahvi road besides other demands. He also urged for developing Bandla Dhar for paragliding.The school children of GHS, Sihra presented cultural programme on the occasion and were announced to be given Rs 15000 by the Chief Minister.
Earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stones of a bridge over Ali rivulet at Navgaon which will cost Rs 3.85 crore and drinking lift water supply scheme, Sihra to be completed with an outlay of Rs 1.14 crore. The scheme will benefit population of around 1300. He also laid foundation stone of lift irrigation supply scheme, Harnora-Deola-Chhamb-Nehar to cost Rs.1.80 crore which will irrigate an area of around 60 hectares. He inaugurated link road from Raghunathpura to Mandi Bharari completed with an outlay of Rs 80.21 lakh and also flagged off a bus on the route.Chairman 20 Point Implementation and Monitoring Committee, Shri Ram Lal Thakur, former Minister Shri Bachiter Singh, Ex-MLAs Shri Tilak Raj, Shri Biru Ram Kishore and Shri Babu Ram Gautam, President Mahila District Congress Committee Smt. Anjana Dhiman, were also present on the occasion amongst others.