The rehabilitation policy for more than 1 lakh people displaced by an ongoing demolition drive of the Jharkhand government was rejected by Opposition parties on Sunday.
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantric) chief Babulal Marandi staged a hunger strike on Sunday here demanding that the drive be stopped immediately. He said: “There are no special measures for the non-BPL families. The whole concept is misleading. The government has created a differentiation among the displaced.”
Two-phased package
The government has come up with a provision of two-phased rehabilitation package.
In the first phase of temporary settlement, the affected people will be shifted to makeshift tents where basic facilities will be made available.
In the second step, the government will construct flats but only for people below the poverty line (BPL).
The Left and the Congress also rejected the package and extended support to Mr. Marandi.
The Left parties have called a dawn-to-dusk Jharkhand shutdown for Monday to protest against the anti-encroachment drive and demand the resignation of Chief Minister Arjun Munda.
Over 5,000 illegal structures have been demolished in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Dhanbad, Bokaro and other districts in the last 45 days on the directives of the Jharkhand High Court.
The drive has claimed 13 lives and rendered more than 1.20 lakh people homeless.
