For Ram Lal, it’s a generational leap

Having undergone a change from a laid back farming community to urbanized lifestyle, with a drive-in colony to live in, Ram Lal - a 38 year old resident of SJVN’s resettlement colony, could not have asked for more in a generation.

“It was an uncertain future, when my father Tushu Ram’s (aged 60 years) land was acquired for setting up the Jhakri project in the early 1990’s,” he recalls.

Being from a family of generation to generation farmers and suddenly finding the small Jhakri community staring at a condition of being rendered without any land holding could have been traumatic but for the resettlement and rehabilitation policy implemented by SJVN for the project affected people.

Firmly planted in the company’s policy was the condition that none of the project affected family would be left defenseless or rendered landless.

Those who would lose their entire land holding towards setting up of the project infrastructure would be rehabilitated and resettled with a built up house and provided with a sustenance level minimum land holding.

Ram Lal is one such beneficiary. “Life before the Jhakri project came up, on the surface appeared simpler underneath was harsh, for one was constantly grappling with poverty,” he says.

Living in the resettlement colony built under the resettlement and rehabilitation initiatives of SJVN, the entire family of Tushu Ram today has road connectivity, round the clock flowing water, and access to good education and healthcare.

Ram Lal Colony Resident

Being one of the 45 families that surrendered all their land holdings for the project needs, the project authorities in return bought private land and allocated land to Tushu Ram and others, such that each one today has a minimum of 5 bigha land holding.

The local Jhakri market provides a ready market where the family can sell all surplus produce that the farm lands grow.

One of the two son’s of Tushu has even been provided a regular job by SJVN. Rehabilitating a most affected project family with a regular job has also become part of the company’s social responsibility regular charter.

“Because of SJVN, today I’m able to educate my son at Delhi Public School, Jhakri, which is more than what my father could afford for me,” says Ram Lal.