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Shiv Kumar Sharma
Tribune News Service
Yamunanagar, August 9
The Irrigation and Water Resources Department of Yamunanagar and other districts has sent the order of Anurag Rastogi, principal secretary of the department, to farmers to return compensation to the government and get back their land acquired for the Dadupur-Nalvi irrigation scheme.
However, farmers, in their reply to the department, said they were not ready to take the land back as it was a settled law that once the land was acquired and possession taken, the government could not withdraw the acquisition.
The farmers whose land was acquired for the Dadupur-Nalvi irrigation scheme were not satisfied with the award of lower courts and had filed a regular first appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC).
The HC pronounced judgment on May 5, 2016, awarding compensation of Rs 2,887 per sqm, plus incidental charges, to the farmers. It roughly turns out to be Rs 3.5 crore per acre. But instead of giving enhanced compensation to the farmers, the state government, on August 3, 2018, de-notified 824.71 acres acquired for the Dadupur-Nalvi scheme after 2005 in Yamunanagar, Ambala and Kurukshetra districts.
According to information, the state government passed an order on July 1 to inform the land owners and their legal heirs about the decision.
As per the order, the government has decided to waive the simple interest for the landowners who do not claim compensation for the usage or damages of any kind. However, those landowners who seek compensation for the usage and damages will have to pay simple 9 per cent interest per annum.
“The interested landowners can present their claims to the office of the Superintending Engineer, Hathnikund Barrage (Jagadhri circle), Yamunanagar, and in the office of the land acquisition officer, Ambala, on or before August 31,” reads the order.
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