The Hindu : New Delhi News : No compensation yet for land acquired during Emergency

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Saturday, Nov 05, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

No compensation yet for land acquired during Emergency

Staff Reporter

L-G told to fix responsibility within five weeks

NEW DELHI: Passing of the buck between the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has resulted in four peasants of Sultanpur Majra village in North-West Delhi running from pillar to post for well over a quarter-century for compensation.

Even a favourable order from the Delhi High Court has not been able to help these hapless peasants -- Mahender Pal Singh, Narender Kumar, Surender Kumar and Devender Kumar - as, despite its clear-cut directive in 1996 that the possession of the land be restored to the owners, the DDA and the MCD are still undecided as to which of the two would pay to the farmers.

The farmers have given up hope of getting their land back as the High Court has recently refused to give the same to them on the ground that roads have been built on it.

The farmers approached the High Court in 1994 after their repeated requests to the two agencies fell on deaf ears.

The petitioners through their counsel R.K. Saini submitted that the Delhi Administration had forcibly acquired their land in 1975 to set up a resettlement colony.

When the Emergency was revoked, the Administration initiated steps for legalisation of the land acquisition, the petitioners said.

In the meanwhile, Justice Pradeep Nandrajog has directed the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi to fix within five weeks which agency is liable to pay the compensation to the peasants.

"Since the decision as to which authority should pay for the land in question is purely administrative, it would be advisable for the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi to take the necessary decision," Mr. Justice Nandrajog said.

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