MMC in tight spot over increase in cost of land acquisition for road

Margao: 17 years after the Margao municipality proposed to acquire 590sqm of private land at Colmorod, Navelim, to further extend an existing road, the land acquisition proceedings that got mired in litigation over the course of time have now taken an interesting turn. What has flummoxed the council is the court ordering the Margao Municipal Council (MMC) to deposit Rs 2.7 crore — the tentative estimated cost of land acquisition as per the new land acquisition law in force, a prohibitive hike from the Rs 3.1 lakh estimated under the archaic land acquisition law — to prove its bonafides.
With the Margao municipality not in fine fettle as far as its finances are concerned, the MMC isn’t in a mood to part with such a huge sum of money. However, at the special meeting of the council held on Tuesday, municipal lawyer Sandesh Padiyar, who made an appearance on invitation, disclosed that on instructions of the MMC chief officer, he has already told the court about the municipality’s willingness and capability to deposit Rs 2.7 crore. The revelation irked the councillors who accused the chief officer of keeping the council in the dark over the case, particularly with regards to the issue of depositing the huge sum with the court.
The court directions pertain to a contempt petition filed against MMC for having failed to acquire the land after initiating the land acquisition process. As heated and passionate discussions raged in the meeting, councillor Ghanashyam Shirodkar called into question the locus standi of the petitioner in the case as he pointed out that the petitioner doesn’t stand to lose any of his land in the proposed road construction.
Further, he said that as most of the affected landowners have already given their NOCs to the MMC, the road be constructed by the municipality without going through the rigmarole of the land acquisition process, a suggestion that found favour with the rest, including chairperson Damodar Shirodkar.
The stark change in stance of the MMC – from pursuing land acquisition for a road since 1998 when the proposal was first moved, to now seeking to forsake its interest in the land when it came to depositing the land acquisition cost – bemused Padiyar who suggested a way out of the imbroglio. He said that the MMC admit before the court its “misjudgment” while earlier undertaking to deposit Rs 2.7 crores, and that the land acquisition cost will be reworked by the MMC technical section in a bid to lower the cost, and that adequate time be sought from the court for the purpose.
The council gave its nod to its counsel’s suggestion.
The court is scheduled to hear the case on Wednesday.