(FE)
Coming down heavily on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for paying “peanuts to landowners”, the Supreme Court has asked the highways authority to deposit the entire enhanced amount of land compensation to be paid to landowners/farmers whose lands were acquired for widening of National Highway No. 24 on the Bareilly-Sitapur Section of Uttar Pradesh. The apex court also allowed the landowners to withdraw half of the amount so paid by the NHAI.
The direction to pay compensation at commercial rates was given by the district judge and was subsequently upheld by the Allahabad High Court in April last year. Initially, the competent authority in October 2012 had determined the compensation of the land according to circle rates applicable to the agricultural land, since it was so recorded in the revenue record. However, landowners had moved the district magistrate, Shahjahanpur, seeking higher compensation on the grounds that their acquired lands were used for commercial purposes. The district judge had in August 2020 set aside the arbitral award and ordered for paying of enhanced compensation, treating the subject land to be commercial land.
