The compensation for landowners who allow GAIL to lay the natural gas pipeline through their property will be doubled. The compensation will be fixed by pegging the market rate at 10 times the fair price.
These were decided at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Saturday.
Industries Minister A.C. Moideen and a GAIL representative were present at the meeting.
At present, the market rate is five times the fair price, which has now been hiked to 10 times. This will translate to an additional cost of ₹116 crore on the compensation package.
The package will be made applicable from 2012 onwards, when the project commenced.
Line alignment
The land utilised for laying the pipeline through properties measuring 10 cents or less will be restricted to two metres. At such places, the existing houses will be protected. At places with no houses, the alignment of the pipeline will be to one side to permit construction of houses at a later date.
The place where houses can be constructed will be specially marked and a document, which can be used as a permit to build a house, given to landowners.
It was also decided that an ex gratia payment of ₹5 lakh will be given to landowners of 10 cents or less through whose property the pipeline will be laid.
Under existing rules, the pipeline cannot be laid beneath existing buildings.
The alignment of the pipeline will be finalised in a manner that will not affect existing houses.
The 437-km Gas Authority of India Ltd (GAIL) pipeline project from Kochi to Mangaluru is expected to be completed by December 2018. The complex land acquisition process has been completed. The works in Kasaragod district, where the pipeline passes through 81 km in localities having by and large laterite soil structure, have almost been completed.
The majority of welding works had been executed in Ernakulam and Thrissur and the laying of the pipeline, ranging between 1.50 metres and 1.75 metres deep, was all set to be completed by December 2018.
Crop loss
Faced with a complaint that the compensation for paddy, among other crops, was less, the meeting also decided that the Kannur package (in addition to the land price, ₹3,761 per cent) will be made applicable to other districts as well.