Disaster Survivors across Himachal voice anger over delayed compensation, faulty surveys and lack of rehabilitation
Photo used for indicative purpose only. Source Internet
Mandi, Nov 15,
Delayed compensation, opaque survey processes, and the absence of land for rehabilitation emerged as the strongest and most urgent concerns voiced by disaster-affected residents at a People’s Public Hearing held in Mandi on Saturday. More than 70 affected individuals from Mandi, Kangra, Kullu, Kinnaur, Lahaul and adjoining regions told a seven-member civil society panel that even years after recurring disasters, they continue to battle official apathy, exclusion from relief lists, and a slow, inconsistent system that has left many without homes, livelihoods or clarity on their future.
Residents narrated distressing accounts of homes reduced to rubble, farmland rendered unusable, and entire families displaced. Yet the dominant grievance cutting across districts was that comprehensive compensation under the Special Relief Package remains stuck, unevenly distributed or denied without reason. While some received initial relief of ₹1.30 lakh, many said detailed assessments have not happened, and numerous families do not know whether their names appear in official records at all.
The lack of transparency in surveys drew repeated criticism. Women from Siraj, including Kesari Devi, said names were added or removed from lists without informing families, leaving them unsure about their eligibility for assistance. Several participants alleged that rental relief was withheld on the ground that families who took shelter with relatives or on rent should have instead stayed in relief camps, a condition many termed unreasonable and impractical.
Eligibility norms for the Special Relief Package were described as arbitrary and insensitive to ground realities. Residents said families with ancestral homes in distant villages were declared ineligible despite having lost the houses they actually lived in, while newly formed nuclear families separated from joint households were not being recognised as independent units. Single women were said to be among the worst affected, with many losing small independent dwellings but still failing to qualify for assistance.
From Chowki Baladi, Neetu Ram recounted the loss caused by the Malana Dam burst, which destroyed his home and belongings. Despite the scale of devastation and the visibility of the incident, he said he has yet to receive any relief—a reflection, he argued, of how affected people fall through administrative cracks.
Rehabilitation for landless families emerged as one of the most acute concerns. Residents from Jogindernagar, Bungrail Chowk and Lindur village said that once their homes are declared unsafe, reconstruction is prohibited, but no alternative land is provided. They pointed out that most potential land lies in Forest Department areas and requires central clearance, resulting in delays stretching into years. Many said the state’s approach amounted to “displacement without rehabilitation.”
Environmental degradation due to unregulated road-cutting, muck dumping, tree felling and dam construction also drew strong criticism, with residents from Kinnaur, Kullu and Mandi arguing that these practices have intensified disaster risks in the fragile Himalayan terrain. The destruction witnessed in Mandi town this year was repeatedly linked to road-widening works, blocked drainage channels and weakened slopes.
Independent journalist and advocate Rajneesh Sharma highlighted the impact of disasters on children’s education, with secondary school students forced to walk long distances on unsafe paths and primary schools in some villages still non-functional months after the monsoon. He also warned against political interference in reconstruction work and called for full transparency and accountability in the use of disaster relief funds.
Climate change concerns also surfaced prominently, with speakers such as Sunita Katoch from Lahaul pointing to repeated flash floods in smaller streams like Jahalma, attributing them to glacial retreat and erratic weather patterns. From Kullu, Lal Chand Katoch urged communities to remain vigilant against ecologically destructive tourism projects, recalling the long-standing public resistance to the proposed Ski Village project.
The Divisional Magistrate of Mandi, who attended the opening session, acknowledged the seriousness of landlessness and said the state was taking up the issue with the central government. He also assured that grievances regarding the Special Relief Package would be reviewed.
The hearing was conducted by a collective of civil society groups, including Ekal Nari Shakti Sangathan, Land Acquisition Affected Forum, Himalaya Niti Abhiyan, Himalok Jagriti Manch, Himachal Gyan-Vigyan Samiti, Himdhara Environment Collective, Jibhi Valley Tourism Development Association, Loktantra, Democratic Nation-Building Campaign, Mandi Literacy Committee, People for Himalaya Campaign, Mountain Women’s Rights Forum, People’s Campaign for Socio-Economic Equality, Save Lahaul-Spiti and the Tower Line Affected Forum. The groups will reconvene on 16 November to finalise their advocacy plans.
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