Jassi and Shaina listen in shock and dismay as Harish tells them about the weavers' plight. The land that they have been living on for decades, and where they sold their goods, had been bestowed on them by the zamindar of the area long back during the British Raj. After Independence, the zamindar's descendants continued to let them live there. But now the latest heir had announced that the land had never been legally transferred to the weavers at all. He was now on the verge of selling it to a powerful builder called Ashmit Singhania.
Jassi: Ashmit Singhania?
Shaina: Ma'am, maine uske baare mein thoda bahut suna hai….north India ka bahut bada developer hai…..multiplexes, commercial complexes, residential colonies…..ye sab uski company handle karti hai….
Harish: (bitterly) Kahan ka "developer" memsa'ab……develop karne ke naam par saare paharon ki khoosurati ujaad rahe hai…..jungle kaat rahe hai….yahaan ki hawa mein kaala dhuaan chod rahe hai…..aur ab hamari rozi roti bhi cheen rahe hai….wo Ashmit Singhania kehta hai, yahaan pe five-star hotel banwaaunga……baahar se hazaaron tourist aake bahut paise kharchenge…..lekin hum logon ka kya hoga, kisi ko parwah nahin!!
Shaina: Lekin….Himachal Pradesh ke property laws ke hisaab se, koi bhi doosre state ka aadmi yahaan zameen nahin khareed sakta….toh ye deal kaise ho gayi? Singhania toh yahaan ka nahin hai?
Harish then tells them the truth: since the last 10 years, as the tourist traffic increased in the hills, property prices had been rising in Kangra and other hill towns. The locals had thought this would benefit them by giving them more livelihoods. But the reverse happened. Big-ticket real-estate agents and builders from other states started arriving in large numbers. They wanted to build large-scale buildings that would attract luxury-loving tourists. But that would mean eroding the culture of the hills and harming the fragile ecology of the area.
At first the locals resisted, but then some of them let themselves be sold at the hands of these tycoons. In order to get around the law against outsiders buying land in the state, some unscrupulous locals would buy land in their own names and sell it, unofficially, to the builders. So if anyone checked the title deeds, they would see the local's name as the owner's. But the property would actually belong to the builder. Aiding and abetting them were some corrupt local officials.
Shaina whispers to Jassi, "Ma'am, mujhe lagta hai hume bahut bada land scam haath laga hai!"
Jassi nods grimly, but then smiles reassuringly at Harish. "Main aap logon se waada karti hun ki aapki zameen, aapki hi rahegi….main aapka, aur mera, sapna poora karke hi rahungi!"
Then she tells Shaina, "Meri Ashmit Singhania se appointment fix karo….main unn weavers ki zameen ko uske haathon mein nahin jaane doongi!"
Tomorrow: The meeting
Shiv Shakti
