Tina Dabi announces 40-bigha land allotment for Pakistani Hindu migrants

Jaisalmer District Collector, Tina Dabi, officially announced on Tuesday that 40 bighas of land in Khasra Nos. 72 and 73 have been allotted to rehabilitate hundreds of Hindu migrants from Pakistan. According to the news outlet India Today, the land allotted to these Hindu migrants is close to Moolsagar, which is approximately 5km away from the district headquarters.

• Protests erupted after the Urban Improvement Trust (UIT) decided to demolish numerous makeshift houses in the Amar Sagar area in Rajasthan as part of the anti-encroachment drive on May 17.
• Soon, Dabi came under fire for demolishing the houses, with many branding her anti-Hindu.
• However, this announcement from the district collector is expected to thaw the ongoing migrant protests.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Dabi revealed that though the land would be reserved for the Hindu migrants, the allocation would only happen once they got Indian citizenship. "40 bighas of land in Khasra no. 72 and 73, about 5 kilometers away from the district headquarters, has been allotted for the rehabilitation of Pakistani Hindu families evicted from government land in Amarsagar," she said.

Dabi also stated that the committee for displaced individuals was formed specifically to determine a suitable location for rehabilitation and address other related matters. The committee will also monitor further procedures. Notably, the district administration has arranged temporary accommodation for the Pakistani Hindu migrants at the government-run shelter house until the land allotment process is completed.

"The district administration would acquire a list of all Pakistani oustees residing there, and their accounts at the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) will be verified first," the Jaisalmer district collector said. "Those who have citizenship will be allotted land on priority, while the others will be lined up for the applications and procedure," explained Dabi.

Dabi is a 2016 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who took charge as Jaisalmer's collector and magistrate district in Rajasthan last year in July. Before taking on the job, the 29-year-old was also posted in Jaipur, according to the Mint. She gained recognition after securing the first rank in the UPSC civil services exam on her first attempt in 2015.