Patna: The state government has refused to declare land acquired in 1974 as free land and stressed that several of its owners had already taken compensation.
In response to a question raised by JDU MLA Shyam Rajak in the Assembly of Monday, urban development minister Suresh Sharma said the government had already paid over Rs 17 crore for acquisition of 1024.56 acres in 1974 and there was no scope for declaring it as free land again.
Rajak pointed out that according to Land Acquisition Act, 2013, which the state government enforced, land which has not been possessed and where compensation has not been paid in up to 5 years since notification, reverts to being free land and the acquisition is nullified.
"In this case also the land owners were not paid and land has not been possessed," Rajak said. "Besides, the purpose for which the land was acquired - providing houses to Patna residents - was never met." He asked the government to enforce the rule of the land "if it prevails in the state". He was backed by BJP MLA Nitin Navin. But the urban development minister ruled out possibility of restoring vacant land to owners.
Acquisition of this land has been a long problem for the state government, sparking off agitations every time efforts are make to demolish houses in the area. The land was acquired in 1974 by the state housing board to build government houses and sell it off to residents. But the landowners moved court and fought the battle all the way till the apex court - losing in all of them. There was a delay in payment of compensation as the board handed over money to the district magistrate in 1983.
In the meantime, housing co-operatives came up and most of the land was converted into private residential areas - Rajiv Nagar, Indira Nagar and large parts of Digha are have come up on this area.
The government moved in to take possession of the remaining around 600 acres, a move opposed by the original land owners on the plea that land price had shot up many folds.
The landowners were paid at the 1973 rate of Rs 2,200 per cottah while the cost now is Rs 50 lakh per cottah.
