Himachal's Lindur village sinking, locals oppose relocation site
Located at an altitude of around 3,300 metres in the remote Udaipur subdivision of the tribal district of Lahaul Spiti, Lindur has been facing land subsidence since 2023. As much as 39 bighas of agricultural land lies damaged, and cracks have appeared in all 14 houses of the village, as well as on the walls of a monastery.
On the demand of the villagers, scientists and researchers from Geological Survey of India (GSI) and IIT-Mandi conducted investigations in Nov 2023 and concluded that the clock was ticking on Lindur and the villagers needed to be rehabilitated.
According to the GSI study, Lindur sits on unstable moraine debris, devoid of any rock base, and water seepage is triggering land subsidence. Continuous seepage from Jahlma Nala, a glacial rivulet, plus irrigation channels and monsoon rain work as catalysts for the subsidence.
Lahaul Spiti administration identified an 8-bigha patch of forest land in Udaipur subdivision to relocate Lindur. It is located in Norjom Got, near Gohrma village.
by Taboola
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Gohrma panchayat has given its no objection certificate (NOC) and the proposal to relocate Lindur has been sent to state govt, Lahaul Spiti deputy commissioner Kiran Bhadana told TOI.
"We have moved the proposal and a reply from govt is awaited. As soon as the proposal is accepted, we will start the groundwork. The Lindur village land will be acquired and the residents will be compensated," said Bhadana.
Lindur residents, however, say 8 bighas is not sufficient for them.
"We are all farmers and have lost our land in Lindur. If the residents are shifted to the site proposed by the administration, then we will be able to only build our houses there. All of us will become landless. What will people do without land, their only source of income?" asked Hira Lal Rashpa, a Lindur resident who has been campaigning to relocate the village for the last two years.
Lindur residents had themselves identified land in Aragot, above Gohrma village, around 3km from Lindur, where they can not only build homes but also have enough to continue farming.
However, Gohrma panchayat has not yet given its NOC for this.
"Gohrma residents are not willing to give us the land in Aragot. This is forest land and cannot be used to build houses or for agriculture without Union govt approval. We have also brought this issue to the notice of our MLA Anuradha Rana and requested her to help us out," added Rashpa.
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