Out of the over 8,000 people affected by the Ranjit Sagar Dam project, as many as 2,000 persons whose land was acquired for construction of the dam in 1997 are yet to be paid compensation by the Punjab Government. The amount due to these people is Rs 28.42 crore. The state government has said it has taken up the matter of the release of the balance amount with the Punjab Government. This was revealed by the government in the documents submitted in the just concluded Assembly session in response to questions put up by MLA Jagdish Raj Sapolia. Sapolia had wanted to know the details of the compensation paid to the people whose land had been submerged in the dam waters. In a separate query, he had also sought details of the employment provided to the people ousted by the coming up of the dam. “About 2,000 persons out of the total 8,579 affected by the dam construction are yet to be paid compensation for the land acquired for construction of the Ranjit Sagar Dam by the Government of Punjab, due to non-release of the funds by the indenting department of the Punjab Government,” the government stated in its written reply. It said the total compensation amount to be paid to the 2,000 persons was Rs 28.42 crore, excluding the interest money. For the construction of the dam for storage of water and hydropower generation on the Ravi near Thein village in Jammu and Kashmir, thousands of acres of land in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh was acquired by the Punjab Government. “Despite the earnest efforts of the state government, the Punjab Government has not released the balance amount so for. The matter has again been taken up with the Punjab Government for resolution of all outstanding issues, including the release of the balance land compensation,” the government said. Since April 2012, 482 persons affected by the Ranjit Sagar Dam have been provided jobs under the Relief and Rehabilitation Policy so far, the government added. Multi-state project 2,000 persons out of the 8,579 affected by the dam construction are yet to be paid compensation for the land acquired for construction of the Ranjit Sagar Dam by the Government of Punjab For the construction of the dam in 1997 for storage of water and hydropower generation on the Ravi near Thein village in J&K, thousands of acres of land in J&K, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh were acquired