Those who lost land for the New Town project are set to get much more than a one-time cash compensation. Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco), the implementing agency of the Rajarhat township, has taken a series of ?comprehensive? income-boosting measures for them.

According to Hidco officials, around 1.5 lakh owners had to give up land for the township.

?Though we have paid a reasonable amount to the owners and they have settled in other places, we have adopted a policy of providing employment to at least one member from each affected family in the township,? said Hidco managing director R.K. Tripathy. The benefits will be in addition to the quota they enjoy in the allotment of plots in New Town.

According to the policy, the land losers will be asked to form cooperatives and supply construction material like cement, sand, bricks and stone chips for various projects undertaken by Hidco. The cooperatives will have 100 members each.

That apart, at least 10 per cent of shops or stalls in any market or mall to be built in New Town will be reserved for the land losers. Hidco will help them get bank loans for setting up business.

According to the development plan of the township, each block will have small markets for vegetables, fish and other essential items. Most of the stalls in the markets will be offered to those who lost land. They will also get preference in the allotment of telephone booths, milk counters and small shops in any big residential or commercial estate.

Those who have the necessary qualifications will be engaged as skilled hands in the projects in the township.

Hidco officials said their target is to provide employment to at least 25,000-30,000 youths in Action Areas I, II and III. ?We have been offering training to the youths so that they can work in projects like laying of roads or construction of bridges,? said Hidco general manager Pradyut Biswas.

The land losers have long been demanding that they be provided with alternative sources of income, in addition to the cash compensation. Land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah had rooted for employment of the land losers.

A similar demand had been raised by some other leaders of the ruling CPM, as well as other political parties.

Managing director Tripathy, however, asserted that the rehabilitation measures were being taken on humanitarian grounds.

?We are not bound to provide employment to land losers, as they have already been paid for their plots. We are trying to do something for them purely on humanitarian grounds. We want that those who have given us land for building the township be involved in the project,?? Tripathy added.