JAIPUR: Representatives from nomadic and semi-nomadic communities are staging an indefinite sit-in protest at Saperon Ki Dhani in Jagatpura to demand permanent housing and official identity cards. Led by Bharat Jodo Mission Society, the protesters accuse the govt of failing to fulfil its manifesto promise of issuing land leases (patta) to nomadic families.
Bharat Jodo Mission Society’s state president Aneesh Kumar Nadar said that even after 75 years of independence, many nomadic and semi-nomadic communities still struggle to obtain essential identity documents such as Aadhaar and Ayushman cards.
Nadar said the Bhajan Lal Sharma govt promised land leases at locations where nomadic families had resided for years. He said the communities want construction of 10,000 flats in every city with a significant nomadic population. “In Jaipur, 30,000 flats and 100-square-yard plots are needed to address the acute housing crisis faced by the communities,” said Nadar.
The sit-in protest entered its 14th day on Sunday. Protesters alleged collusion between land mafia and Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials.
Panchayati raj minister Madan Dilawar has announced that 30,000 land leases would soon be distributed in villages, but he admitted that issuing urban leases remains a challenge.
