Seraj Cries Again: Will CM’s Relief Measures Go Beyond Announcements This Time?
JANJEHLI/THUNAG, July 10
As Seraj bleeds again, the wounds of the 2023 cloudburst barely healed, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu landed in the disaster-struck Thunag, Bagsiad, Deji, Bara, and Syanj villages—this time, with a ₹7 crore promise and a few prayers.
But in the battered hamlets of Deji and Bara, where 11 are still missing and six have already died, the people want more than words.
They want land, homes, and a guarantee that they won’t be the “forgotten constituency” again.
“Last year too, Sukhu ji came, made tall promises… but what came of it?” asked 62-year-old Gopal from Bara, standing before what used to be his orchard.
A Policy in Pipeline—But Will It Deliver?
CM Sukhu did float the idea of a “one-time settlement policy” to rehabilitate the displaced families on forest land—a step long overdue in a state where 68% of land falls under forest category and resettlement often gets stuck in red tape.
Yet, critics say unless he pushes hard in Delhi and cuts through the bureaucratic maze, this will be just another gimmick to calm tempers.
Notably, in 2023 too, no such policy took shape despite similar announcements.
The CM did instruct officials to declare unsafe homes as “completely damaged” so that maximum compensation could reach the affected.
But as past experience shows, these declarations often take months, and the compensation arrives too little, too late.
What About the Orphans, The Landless?
Many in Bara and Deji have lost not just homes but kin, cattle, and the little savings they had. Where do they go now?
“Will they give us land or just throw plastic tents again?” asked Kamla, whose mud house got buried under a heap of stones in Deji.
There’s been talk of ₹2 crore each to PWD and Jal Shakti departments for road and water restoration and ₹1 crore to the BDO.
But nothing yet for landless survivors or those whose land has become uninhabitable.
Schools Damaged, But Hope Rises
In a silver lining, the CM promised temporary classes in Sundernagar for the stranded Horticulture and Forestry College students and even announced a CBSE school for Thunag after local girls raised the issue.
But this too needs to be seen through, not shelved like many past proposals.
A Call for Concrete Action, Not Just Courtesy
With elections always lurking around the corner, political optics are easy.
But Seraj isn’t asking for a show—just safety and security.
"Don’t make Seraj a photo-op for aerial surveys. Settle us where we can sleep without fear of the next cloudburst," said Jeevan, a young orchardist from Syanj.
CM Sukhu has thanked the Army, SDRF, and volunteers. Good. But if he really wants to thank Seraj, he must bring the settlement policy out of files and into the fields—with land titles, not lip service.
Otherwise, Seraj might survive this flood, but not the betrayal that follows.
For www.himbumail.com – ground report from Seraj, where hope is fragile and memories of neglect are fresh.
