The Hindu : New Delhi News : Compensation for farm land raised

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 19, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Compensation for farm land raised

Staff Reporter

Decision follows increase in prices of land and inflation during past few years: Chief Minister
Revised rates: Rs.75 lakh an acre for normal agriculture land; Rs.25 lakh for riverbed land

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday enhanced the compensation amount for acquisition of agricultural land in the Capital from Rs.25 lakh an acre to Rs.75 lakh an acre.

Announcing this after the Cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit described it as a landmark decision.

She said the decision would provide much-needed relief to farmers whose agricultural land is being acquired by the Government.

Stating that the farmers would be receiving the enhanced compensation from now on, the Chief Minister said the decision had been taken in view of the increase in prices of land and inflation during the past few years.

The Chief Minister recalled that the last revision in compensation rates had taken place in August 2005. The rates have now been revised from Rs.25 lakh to Rs.75 lakh an acre for normal agriculture land and from Rs.8 lakh to Rs.25 lakh an acre for riverbed land. The Cabinet, she said, had ratified the recommendations of a committee headed by the Finance Minister that had been constituted in September 2007.

Marriage registrations

The Cabinet also cleared a draft for the Delhi Registration of Marriages Bill, 2007, that would be introduced in the State Assembly. The Bill provides for compulsory registration of all marriages solemnised in Delhi. After becoming an Act it would hopefully help overcome cases of child marriage, bigamy or polygamy and help women exercise their right of maintenance from the husband and custody of children and enable widows to claim inheritance.

A Registrar-General of Marriages for Delhi would be appointed by the Government, who will act as the Chief Executive Authority for executing the provisions of this Act. Failure to apply for registration of a marriage would invite penalty of imprisonment for a term, which may extend to one year, and would also be make the violator liable for a fine.

Wazirabad Bridge

The Cabinet also gave its assent for the modified project of Wazirabad Bridge under which tenders would now be split in two parts. Ms. Dikshit said this would result in a saving of Rs.106 crore against the revised cost of the project. She said the bridge would be constructed as per the modified preliminary estimate amounting to Rs.887.29 crore and claimed that the splitting of tender into two packages — one for approaches and the other for main cable stayed bridge – and use of smaller Indian steel segments in place of concrete in construction would result in the saving of Rs.106 crore as Rs.887.29 crore would now be spent against a revised amount of Rs.993.11 crore that had been estimated earlier.

The length of the bridge now would be increased from 600 metres to 675 metres to improve the aesthetics. The width of the bridge would be increased from 33 metres to 35.2 metres to provide maintenance walkways.

The Cabinet also decided to waive recovery amount of Rs.17,15,877 outstanding as un-recovered loan and accrued interest thereon from 519 defaulters under the special component plan scheme of the Department of Industries. The Department of Industries had granted loans up to Rs.10,000 per unit to existing registered cottage and small-scale industrial units and up to Rs.5,000 for establishing new units under the scheme of block loan.

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