42 years later, High Court gives major relief to 133 Operation Blue Star-affected families

Amritsar: After nearly 42 years of legal battles, 133 persons affected by the displacement of shops and properties around the Golden Temple area during Operation Blue Star have finally received relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The High Court has directed the Punjab Government to provide the affected people with alternative sites in Amritsar's Mall Mandi area at the rates fixed under the 1988 corridor project, rather than the much higher rates later imposed by the state government.

The affected people had been approaching courts for decades, seeking a fair rate for the alternative sites offered to them.

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The case relates to people whose shops and properties were affected during Operation Blue Star in 1984. The government later initiated a process to provide them with alternative sites.

The Supreme Court, in 2017, had directed the affected persons to deposit the amount at the rate of Rs 10,000 per square yard and sent the matter back to the High Court.

In January 2020, the rate for allotment was fixed at Rs 14,450 per square yard. However, in July 2022, the Punjab government increased the rate substantially to Rs 38,400 per square yard.

The sharp increase became the main point of contention, with the affected people arguing that they had already been displaced for decades and should not be burdened with such a steep price.

HC questions govt's approach

The High Court took note of the fact that the petitioners had been waiting for alternative accommodation for around our decades.

The court observed that the government should have considered their circumstances sympathetically, particularly as they had remained displaced for such a long period.

The court has now ordered that the alternative sites be provided on the basis of the 1988 rate of Rs 1,000 per square yard, as applicable under the corridor project.

Relief for 133 affected persons

The 133 affected persons had approached the High Court seeking a reduction in the rate being charged for the alternative sites.

The alternative plots are being offered in Mall Mandi, Amritsar. Instead of paying the revised rate of Rs 38,400 per square yard fixed by the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government, the petitioners will now get relief based on the earlier rate determined under the 1988 project.

The High Court's decision is being seen as a major relief for the affected families, who have spent more than four decades pursuing their claim for rehabilitation.