5 villages lose out on 100 crore special rehab offer

NEW DELHI: Farmers in five villages of northwest Delhi, who were displaced because of DDA’sNarela project, won’t be entitled to a roughly Rs100-crore “special rehabilitation package” announced ahead of the 2008 assembly polls. A total of 500 acres was acquired for a clutch of industrial and housing schemes.
This special package was supposed to be a “one-time gesture” , but for five years it remained on paper. Now, lieutenant governor (LG) Tejendra Khanna has approved DDA’s decision to not grant this package, implying it’s not bound by the Delhi cabinet’s order.

The order is all the more unfair because in the rest of villages where government acquired land for its own projects, it has paid both the compensation and the enhanced special package.

Earlier, both DDA and the Delhi government compensated villagers at rates it found fit. But farmers, who weren’t happy, insisted on more and staged protests blocking highways.

Days ahead of the polls, the Delhi government ordered a “special package” to pacify the farmers. But those in these five villages, whose lands were acquired for the DDA project, did not get a single paisa.

An important clause built into this package said those receiving relief wouldn’t be entitled to move court for enhancement of the award. They could either accept the special package or move court. DDA now says it’s willing to pay any enhanced amount, as directed by a “legal entity” . This leaves farmers with no option but to take legal recourse .

In January 2013, the LG informed the urban development (UD) ministry he “agrees with DDA’s stand” that says “the agency can pay the compensation awarded by the land acquisition collector or any enhancement , if so ordered by the court irrespective of the amount involved. DDA cannot pay as per the special rehabilitation package announced by the government of Delhi.”

This has come as a setback to the Delhi government in an election year. Last May, in an unprecedented move, the Delhi government had asked the LG to consider denotification of 500 acres marked in 2006 for the Narela project.

On May 14, land & building minister Raj Kumar Chauhan sent a file to CM Sheila Dikshit’s office, requesting it be forwarded to LG Khanna. This communication sought denotification of land acquired in Singhu, Alipur, Bakholi, Mamoorpur and Tikri Khurd. Chauhan had blamed the DDA for not releasing funds under the special rehabilitation package.

DDA has always said that as per existing guidelines, it can pay only the sum awarded by the land acquisition collector, else Delhi government’s special package order be taken up with the UD ministry.

While the agencies spar with each other, farmers in the five villages have been shortchanged.

To date, they have received Rs 29.15 lakh per acre for land that is now valued at Rs 2 crore per acre.

It was announced that these farmers were to get a higher compensation on the basis of a rate approved by the cabinet at Rs53 lakh per acre plus solatium at 30% and interest at 12.5% per year after suitable adjustments for 2005 and 2006.