Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal (SP)
Bantwal, Aug 8: It is said that discriminatory practices are followed by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in fixing price for the land being acquired for the widening of National Highway 75 between B C Road and Addahole. There are complaints that the valuation of land has been too low.
NHAI has grouped Goltamajalu village as semi urban area and fixed rate for land and buildings which get annexed for highway widening as per the rates prevailing in 2014. The people want the valuation to be done as per 2019 rate list. Although the officials claim that as per rules, they have fixed price at 1.5 times the market price, the people say that the price fixed has been ridiculously low.
As per the valuation of NHAI, price of about Rs 39,000 per acre (Rs 97 per square metre) has been fixed. For commercial and residential lands, the compensation has been fixed a little higher than this. Currently, land at Kalladka commands between four to six lac rupees per cent. Even if the authority had fixed as per the 2019 rate list, the price would have been Rs 2.4 lac per cent. But the authority has not followed this rate either, although land is being acquired now, the residents argue.
The authority has fixed land prices in rural lareas at 4.5 times the current price. In semi urban area, this should have been much more. But in Kalladka, prices fixed are way below these prices. As such, people who lose their houses are unable to buy alternative property.
People of Kalladka expect local MLA Rajesh Naik, and MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, to take their side in the matter of land acquisition. The members of a committee formed for the purpose of pursing the matter and organize agitations if needed, have urged the deputy commissioner of the district also to take interest in this issue and see that justice is done to local residents.
One of the affected persons, Shivaram Holla, noted that the price being offered here is less than the rate prevailing in rural places although this area falls under semi urban zone. He has urged the concerned to fix prices as per the 2018-19 rate list. Special land acquisition officer and competent authority, Manjunath, said that land acquisition has been made for only 40 metres at Kalladka as flyover is planned here. As the land acquired on both the sides is less than 2.5 metres in many places, many buildings have fallen under safe zone and hence valuation has been considerably less, he clarified. He said that there is opportunity for review of prices fixed by the valuators in the engineering department of NHAI if there is any discrepancy in fixing of prices.