Land owners demand
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 07 2016:
Landowners affected by the railway project
from Tupul to Imphal has threatened to prohibit the same project if
the rate of land compensation is not reviewed.
Affected land owners residing between Tairenpokpi and
Malom held a joint meeting at Salam today and constituted
a JAC.
Legal advisor of the affected land owners Advocate
Ch Dhananjoy said that the Government violated the Right to
Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 in the process of
land acquisition.
The preamble to the Act says that land compensation
rate should be four times the market value in rural
areas and two times the market value in urban areas, Dhananjoy
said.
Schedule II of the Act has provisions for construction
of houses for homeless people, allotment of land for landless
people, giving jobs, payment of monthly allowance of Rs
3000 for one year, payment of Rs 50,000 for transportation
and one time payment of Rs 50,000 as resettlement allowance,
he continued.
Former MLA S Rajen whose land is also affected said that
the compensation rate of Rs 3.50 to 4.50 per square feet is too
low.
The rate fixed by the Government is unacceptable to the
affected people who are mostly peasants.
The JAC would take
recourse to law courts if the Government refuses to review the
land compensation rate, Rajen said.