Palamu (Jharkhand): In a strange incident, the Jharkhand government allegedly sold a village in the Garhwa district to an unidentified private company without taking the residents into confidence. Eventually, the residents of the village, Sunil Mukherjee Nagar, have filed a case in a Palamu court, where the hearing of the case is going on.
Sunil Mukherjee Nagar was established in the Ramuna block of Garhwa district with the help of leftist organizations in the 90s. This village is situated on about 465 acres with more than 250 families living here for nearly three decades. The people of the village have now filed a case in the court regarding the matter and eagerly awaiting justice.
The villagers asserted their right over the land since they have been living there for several decades. Dhananjay Prasad Mehta, a resident of Sunil Mukherjee Nagar, said, "This is our land, we have been living here for decades. The state government has sold this village to a private company due to which we have to suffer a lot."
The people of the village are obviously in a disadvantage as they have land in their possession but they do not have any documents to show their registered ownership. Due to this, there is also a lack of basic facilities like roads, water, and electricity. The respective political parties also have only sought their support in times of elections but did not address their basic needs.
Naurang Pal, a resident of this village said, "we were not aware of our village being sold to a private company for at least six months. Then one day, the company dumped stones and cement to mark their boundary which triggered protests by the villagers." No officials has passed on any information to the village regarding this.
The villagers said two decades ago, they were given a few benefits under the government housing scheme. But they are deprived of important basic amenities like roads, electricity, and even school. With the matter still going on in the Palamu court, the officials restrain from making any comment on this rare problem.
