Importance of Public Consultation

Siadpura – Kuradi, is one of the proposed peri-urban water schemes under the World Bank-funded Uttarakhand Water Supply Program (UWSP) in the district, Haridwar. For the active support of the community and the engagement of citizens, the facilitating agency Dev Rishi Educational Society (DRES) has organized a consultation on 21^st December, 2019. During the meeting, public representatives and the villagers took active part and there were no major issues that came up. In the follow up of the community mobilization activities, DRES and the FIU / UJN have felt the need for the reconstitution of the Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC). Finally, on 4th January 2020 DRES has organized a meeting in Kuradi village for the re-constitution of GRC. In the meanwhile, DRES and UJN team came to know that 20 families of the village have claimed that the land area for proposed tubewell had been allotted as a lease to them by the government. It was a big problem that came on the way as the contractor supposes to start construction work immediately. DRES and UJN team has called a meeting in the house of the former head of the village Mr. Satendra Singh, in which present head of the village Mr. Saini also took part to sort out the issue. A resident Mrs. Sushila Devi, her sons and 20 other families put up their objection in the meeting. They have informed that they use that land for the dumping of household garbage and use it as a garden too. They also claimed that they have all legal documents belongs to the land. All the families have argued about their claim that they are using that land for many decades. By knowing the issue, village representatives, DRES team and officials of the UJN have decided to give 5 days to claimants, so that they can collect and show the legal land documents. If the claimant's shell is able to show the evidence as legal documents, the department will leave the land, if not claimants must withdraw their grievances and allege. Finally, after given time claimants did not present the facts and documents because the land has belongs to the common property of the village and the issue has been solved on the spot.

K. S. Chauhan

(CDS - Haridwar)