GUWAHATI, May 19 ? The State government has chalked out a four-phase plan for the rehabilitation of the people displaced from their homes in the ethnic riots in Kokrajhar district in 1996 and 1998, and the process to rehabilitation is scheduled to start in the first part of June. Talking to The Assam Tribune today, the Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner, Dr A K Bhutani said that at present about 1,80,000 persons belonging to 33,000 families are living in 54 relief camps in the district and the State government has decided to release Rs 2 crore a month for the rehabilitation of the affected people.
Dr Bhutani revealed that in the first phase the people, who used to live in recognised revenue and forest villages and those who can be settled without any extra security would be rehabilitated. He said that about 12,000 families can be rehabilitated in the first phase by payment of rehabilitation grant of Rs 10,000 per family. He disclosed that about 2,000 families can be rehabilitated per month and the State government has decided to release Rs 2 crore per month for the purpose. However, the money will be reimbursed by the Central government. It may be mentioned here that at present the State government is spending Rs 90 lakh per month to provide relief to the camp inmates and that money would be asked once the camp inmates are rehabilitated.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the second phase would cover persons who were displaced from the recognised revenue and forest villages and who can be sent back with minimum extra security. Eight additional platoons of security forces would be required for the implementation of that phase, he added. He revealed that the persons belonging to the isolated villages would be rehabilitated in the third phase and about 22 platoons of additional security forces would be required for the same.
However, the implementation of the fourth phase of the rehabilitation plan would create some problems. Dr Bhutani said that about eight thousand families, who were encroachers of the forest land would have to seek alternative land for the same. He revenue that the Kokrajhar district administration would be able to find alternative land for rehabilitation of about a thousand such families and the rest 7,000 families would have to be settled elsewhere in the State. However, a few of those families have made arrangements for alternative land themselves and they can be settled with the payment of the rehabilitation grant. ?We are not too keen to send back the relief camp inmates, by only providing the rehabilitation grant without making any arrangement for land as it would not serve any purpose,? Dr Bhutani added. The Kokrajhar Deputy Commissioner said that the district administration held a series of meetings with the camp inmates and every one of them have expressed willingness to go back to their respective villages.