Villagers: Notification for land acquisition illegal

Tribune News Service

Mandi, April 24

Hundreds of villagers today urged the government to cancel the notification issued to acquire land for the four-laning of the Nerchowk to Manali stretch of the National Highway-21.

The government had recently issued a notification to acquire land for four-laning of this stretch under Section 3 (a) of the National Highways Act, 1956, and invited objections within 21 days from the publication of the notification in local newspapers.

A delegation of villagers from Aut, Panarsa, Takoli, Nagwain and Jhiri, led by zila parishad chairman Kheema Ram and BJP leader Brig Khushal Thakur (retd) submitted their objections with Senior Land Acquisition Officer Vijay Chandan at Pandoh in the district.

Later talking to mediapersons, they termed the notification as illegal and unconstitutional. They said a large number of people would be deprived of their land, houses, shops and livelihood.

They said the notification was issued under the National Highways Act, but the Central government had already brought the National Highways Act under the purview of the new land acquisition ordinance for the purposes of compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement packages with effect from January 1, 2015.

Demanding cancellation of the notification, they said it was not issued as per the new land acquisition ordinance. There were no provisions of rehabilitation and resettlement of the displaced people in the National Highways Act, whereas under the ordinance, the compensation would be four times which would be followed by rehabilitation and resettlement, they said.

Seeking fair compensation and resettlement package according to the ordinance, they said people were not against land acquisition for strategic defence and infrastructure development projects, but their main fear and apprehensions were related to fair compensation and their rehabilitation and resettlement for the loss of livelihood, dislocation and displacement as a large number of them would be rendered landless, homeless, compelled to change their residences and businesses.

They said villagers were apprehensive about the evaluation of the market value of the land which would be fixed by the state government and the collector.

“The present market value is outdated and erroneous, as it is fixed on the basis of undervalued sale deeds of land to avoid stamp duty,” they said. They said the market value of the land should be fixed on actual prevailing rates, keeping in view the purpose and potential of land or property such as business, tourism and economic activities

After fixing the just and actual prevailing market rates of the land, the affected persons should be given fair compensation and resettlement packages as outlined in the new Land Acquisition Act, they said.