As many as 99 Bangladeshi Hindu families who have been living in jhuggi-jhopdis on lakefront land in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut district for over four decades may soon get permanent housing, following a decision by the UP government to rehabilitate them in Kanpur Dehat.
The proposal, cleared by the state cabinet ahead of the West Bengal elections, provides for the rehabilitation of all 99 families in Rasulabad tehsil of Kanpur Dehat district.
In a statement issued after the cabinet meeting on Thursday, the government said the families have been residing for a long period on lakefront land in Nagla Gusai village of Mawana tehsil, Meerut district, without legal authorisation.
Under the plan, 50 families will be settled on 11.1375 hectares (27.51 acres) of land in Bhainsa village, while the remaining 49 families will be rehabilitated on 10.53 hectares (26.01 acres) in Tajpur Tarsauli village. Both land parcels are registered in the name of the Rehabilitation Department. Each family will be allotted 0.50 acres.
The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, described the move as a “major and humane decision” for the rehabilitation of Hindu Bengali families displaced from East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, and residing in Uttar Pradesh.
A senior state government official said the land would be allotted on a 30-year lease, either on payment of a premium or lease rent, with the provision for renewal in blocks of 30 years, up to a maximum of 90 years. “The decision will ensure environmental protection as well as dignified and secure rehabilitation of the displaced families,” the official said.
The rehabilitation plan follows earlier initiatives by the Centre and various states to resettle Hindu refugees from East Pakistan and Bangladesh, including under the Dandakaranya Rehabilitation Scheme after the 1947 Partition, the settlement of refugees in Karnataka following the 1971 war, and rehabilitation efforts in West Bengal after the 2015 Land Boundary Agreement. More recently, Madhya Pradesh rehabilitated over 5,400 Hindu families who migrated from Bangladesh.
Speaking to TDG, Ashok Kumar, former village pradhan of Nagla Gusai, said the ancestors of these families migrated to India decades ago and arrived in Meerut around 1985. “Most of them are poor families working as masons, labourers or doing odd jobs. The present generation consists largely of young couples and their children,” he said.
Kumar said around 103 such families currently live in the village, mostly in jhuggi-jhopdis, with only one or two residing in pucca houses. Many also cultivate vegetables and paddy on land near the lake.
He alleged that recently, crops cultivated by the families were damaged using a poclain machine after the current village pradhan announced plans to build a stadium in the area, leading to flooding and crop loss.
The state government said the families, who have lived in temporary conditions for decades, will now get permanent homes and future security.