Cabinet decision to recover interest from land losers is illegal: Surjewala

CHANDIGARH: Condemning the Manohar Lal Khattar government’s move to recover simple interest along with the compensation amount from the farmers if the state government decides to denotify an acquired chunk on the pretext of it being unviable, former Haryana minister Randeep Singh Surjewala on Thursday said the state cabinet’s decision in this regard is illegal.

The state council of ministers had taken the decision to levy simple interest on Wednesday while approving the policy for the return of 830 acres of denotified Dadupur Nalvi irrigation scheme land under the provisions of Section 101 A of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Haryana Amendment) Act, 2017.

The policy will give effect to the controversial denotification of Dadupur Nalvi irrigation scheme.

In a statement, Surjewala said the Supreme Court had decided in the Tata Singur case that farmers who took compensation money for the acquisition of their land need not return it as they have been deprived of the occupation and enjoyment of their land for the last ten years and the same conditions were applicable in case of affected farmers in Dadupur Nalvi irrigation project.

The land acquisition for Dadupur Nalvi scheme started as early as 1987 and the process continued till 2009. HT was the first to report on August 28 that the apex court had disapproved off recovery of land compensation from farmers.

The former minister also said the decision of the BJP government that the original land owners or their legal heirs would have to deposit the received compensation along with interest due for the period from the date of receipt of compensation and deposit of compensation amount in the designated account before taking the possession of the land was in total contravention of the Supreme Court decision in Tata Singur case. He promised that the Congress will support the farmers in case they approach the court of law and would also extend legal support.

Surjewala also said that justice will be restored to the affected farmers when the Congress forms the government in Haryana and this “unjust and anti-farmer decision of the BJP government” will be reviewed.

SC DISAPPROVED OF RECOVERY OF COMPENSATION FROM FARMERS IN TATA SINGUR CASE, SAYS CONGRESS LEADER