YAMUNANAGAR: After nearly a year of taking a decision to de-notify the Dadupur-Nalvi Canal project, the Haryana government has issued the gazette notification in this regard. Officials of the
irrigation department on Saturday submitted a copy of the notification to
Jagadhri Additional District Judge Naresh Katyal.
Presently, the court has not issued any order to detach the accounts of the department. The next hearing for the case is August 31. Despite the orders from the high court, farmers were not given compensation of the acquired land and the district court had attached the accounts of the department in this regard. Thereafter, on September 27, 2017, the state cabinet had decided to de-notify 830 acres of the acquired land in Ambala,
Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar districts.
Kashmir Singh Dhillon, president, Dadupur-Nalvi Nehar Sangharsh Samiti, said, "The Supreme Court had recently passed an order directing the state government to deposit Rs 50 lakh per acre as compensation in the court of Naresh Katyal for land acquired in Faridpur, Uncha Chandna, Jhar Chandna, Kalanpur, Daulatpur and Sialba villages in Yamunanagar district. In another order of the high court dated May 5, 2016, it had ordered to compensate the farmers with Rs 1.16 crore for nearly 216 acres acquired in Yamunanagar district while the matter related to nearly 43 acres in the district is still under consideration of the court."
The Haryana government had asked the President for making amendments to Section 101 of the Land Acquisition Rehabilitation Act, 2013, and after getting his approval the matter was tabled before the Governor, after which the state government on Friday had issued the gazette notification for de-notifying the canal project. As per the notification, the farmers will have to return the compensation amount, along with interest. The notification also mentions that the government will compensate the losses of farmers due to the land acquisition.
Moreover, the farmers will have to claim the withdrawal of the acquired land in front of the Ambala land acquisition officer within the 30 days after the publication of the gazette notification. On the other hand, farmers who are protesting against the decision, said they would challenge this decision in the high court.
