About 40 beneficiary families of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), impressed with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi pet-project, have renamed their Diyadih village as ‘Modi tola’ at Icchagarh block of Seraikela-Kharsawan district—105 km south of Ranchi. The village is one out of 116 odd villages where families were displaced due to construction of Chandil Dam of Subarnarekha multipurpose project.
Around 20,000 people from 116 villages were rendered homeless due to construction of Subarnarekha multipurpose project. These homeless people displaced from their original habitant were bereft of their houses and agriculture land. However, few months back 40 families of Diyadih village had a ray of hope after the Seraikela-Kharsawan district administration provided them houses under PM Awas Yojana. All these houses are constructed in stretch of last three to four months.
The villagers, who were earlier living in deplorable condition in Kutcha houses now have Pucca houses. Under PM Awas scheme each unit of house has two rooms, verandah, kitchen and a toilet. One of the beneficiaries of the scheme, Vimal Mahto said, “Diyadih village is one of displaced village of Subarnarekha multipurpose project. As the government has constructed 40 units of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, the villagers impressed with the project and expressing their gratitude towards Modijee have renamed the village as Modi Tola.”
Mahto a farmer by profession further said, “We were displaced from our houses around four decades back, many governments came but none of them bothered to take care of our interest. Few months back that we receive houses PM Awas and the onus goes to PM.”
However, the villagers still rue about lack of infrastructure facilities in the village, the village is yet to see power connection at the time when State Government is beating drum about cent-per-cent power connection in rural areas.
With an aim to give pace to Centre and State Government’s development schemes, BJP MLA from Icchagarh, Sadhu Charan Mahto on Monday visited the village and had interaction with local villagers assessing the developmental projects in the village. The BJP MLA said, “I have promised the villagers to provide drinking water through deep boring, work on connecting the village with power map is going on war footing pace with the village going to witness power connection within a month. I have also ensured villagers that a rural road will be constructed in their village.”
Though the villagers have received houses under PM Awas scheme, the displaced families are yet to get promised compensation. During seventies when people from 116 odd villages were displaced, the then Bihar Government had prepared compensation package which included 24 decimals of land for construction of houses to each family, government jobs to one member of displaced family and provision of agriculture land equal to their land size acquired by government. Mahto said, “As per Government figures around 13,900 people were displaced due to the construction of project, but only 1150 people have received the jobs.” The Subarnarekha multipurpose project has turned out to be white elephant with government officials engaged in the project minting money.
Under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana, the State Government had approved proposal for construction of 1.60 lakh houses under PM Awas Yojana and out of which 48,000 houses has been completed. At the same time construction work of 43,822 is going on at war footing pace. The PM Awas Yojana introduced in June 2015 is an interest subsidy scheme for purchase/ construction/ extension/ improvement of house to cater economically poor section of society.