Govt clears settlement of 314 Bhairwa reservoir compensation cases

Ramgarh: Jharkhand government led by CM Hemant Soren has approved the disposal of 314 long-pending cases related to compensation for land acquired for the Bhairwa reservoir project in Ramgarh. Cases will be taken up during the National Lok Adalat scheduled on March 14.

The compensation dispute linked to the Bhairwa reservoir project had remained pending for years. Thousands of raiyats had lost their land for the construction of the reservoir, but payment of compensation had not been completed, leading to resentment among affected landholders. Work on the project had also remained stalled due to unresolved compensation issues.

Ramgarh Government Pleader Sanjeev Ambashth raised the issue with state authorities and sought justice for affected raiyats. Through case numbers 33/24 and 34/24 dated June 16, 2024, he forwarded relevant files to the government requesting settlement of pending claims.

Acting on the proposal, the state government issued approval for the disposal of all 314 cases through the National Lok Adalat. Approval was granted under letter number 11/Bhu.A 01-03/2021 and memo number 989 dated February 25, 2026.

All required procedures related to cases have been completed by the office of the Government Pleader in Ramgarh. Proceedings in the National Lok Adalat will determine how many of the 314 cases are settled and the total compensation amount to be paid to raiyats.

The decision has generated optimism among affected landholders, many of whom belong to tribal communities in the Ramgarh region. Raiyats expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Hemant Soren for approval and also praised the efforts of Sanjeev Ambashth for pushing the process forward.