The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Vallarpadam: VS to announce completion of land acquisition

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Friday, Aug 08, 2008
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Vallarpadam: VS to announce completion of land acquisition

Staff Reporter

Title deeds of rehabilitation land will be distributed

Function to be held on August 16
Land already handed over to agencies

KOCHI: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will announce the completion of land acquisition for establishing rail and road connectivity for the proposed Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal and distribute title deeds of the land allotted to the evictees at a function to be held here on August 16.

Evictees in Edappally north and south villages, who surrendered their land before all others, would be given title deeds.

Fisheries Minister S. Sarma will preside over the function. Ministers K.P. Rajendran and Mons Joseph, MPs and MLAs from the district, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and National Highways Authority of India Chairman will also attend.

District Collector M. Beena convened a meeting here on Thursday to discuss the arrangements to be made for the function.

She said that land acquisition had been completed by July 15 and land had already been handed over to the agencies concerned. About 4.30 hectares of land, with 144 houses, spread over four villages had been acquired for rail connectivity. For highway connectivity, 43.75 hectares spread over seven villages had been acquired. There were 183 inhabitants on this land. Those who had surrendered up to 5 cents of land would be given 4.5 cents and price for half a cent as determined by the District Level Purchase Committee (DLPC). Those who had given more than five cents would be given five cents of land plus price equivalent to half a cent as fixed by DLPC.

Though the High Court had directed to complete rehabilitation by January 2009, district administration was aiming at readying the rehabilitation plots within two months. The highest price fixed by DLPC for the land acquired for rail connectivity was Rs.5.24 lakh a cent and the lowest price stood at Rs.98,610. In the case of road connectivity this was Rs.5.5 lakh and Rs.1 lakh.

Land for rail connectivity was acquired from 254 persons, while 604 persons had given up their land for road connectivity. Besides, land was acquired from an additional 73 persons for rail connectivity as per the understanding that land below three cents lying next to the acquired land should be taken into possession if the owner was willing to part with it.

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