Kakinada: The first phase of the land acquisition process for the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) has been completed with separate notifications issued under 4(1) of the Land Acquisition Act. Some 7,886 acres of land spread over four villages in U.Kothapalli Mandal and two villages in Thondangi Mandal have been notified in the first phase.

After hearing the objections in the second phase now in progress, the Government would proceed with the final declaration expected to be issued by the month-end. The notification regarding the 200 acres of private land to be acquired in Kakinada rural mandal is also expected during this week.

Offers for land

The location of the Rs.5,600-crore ONGC refinery, as part of the SEZ, is expected to be made public only after the completion of the land acquisition, so that the entire process of acquisition would go on smoothly.

ONGC Special Officer Patham Vir Singh is expected to return to the district after Sankranti with the financial sanctions required for paying the ryots towards cost of the land taken over. Already, several ryots have volunteered to give their land by accepting Rs.3 lakhs per acre offered by the ONGC during the arbitration.

The authorities did not visualise any hitch as a majority of the ryots have reconciled with the realities and feel it is a better choice to accept the ONGC offer instead of parting with their land at a lesser rate under the acquisition process. Another reason for the change in the ryots' stance is that the villages are not touched and only some 755 buildings and other structures in all the villages would be affected.

Under the draft notifications issued so far, 267 acres in Moolapet village, 218 acres in Komaragiri, 1,886 acres in Ponnada, 1,966 acres in Ramanakkapet - all in U.Kothapalli Mandal - 2,491 acres in AV Nagaram and 1,055 acres in Kodada village in Thondangi Mandal are proposed to be acquired for the SEZ project. The authorities expect that there would be no need for the district administration to go in for forcible acquisition of the land and the ONGC authorities themselves would be able to secure the land in a cordial atmosphere leaving no scope for any heartburn.

They expect some hitch on the cost of the lands adjoining the highway, in which case the ryots might seek the court's intervention for higher compensation.

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