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| HEC: Acre worries |
Ranchi, Feb. 20: Heavy Engineering Corporation Limited (HEC), Ranchi, today stressed that removal of unauthorised occupants settled on 320 acres of prime HEC property was a state subject.
Officials added that the firm was ready to co-operate with any decision taken by the government in this regard.
HEC chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) G.K. Pillai said that the HEC would come out with an official statement and reduce the price of land — illegally occupied by a few lakh families — once the firm receives an official copy of the state revival package.
“We are yet to receive the official copy of the revival package, cleared by the governor on February 13. We willget it soon. Once we have it, we will come out with an official response,” HEC CMD told The Telegraph.
HEC’s statements come after the government, in its February 14 HEC revival package, stated that of the 2,257 acres that HEC was supposed to transfer back to the government — as a part of a tripartite agreement between the government, the Centre and the HEC — 320 acres were being illegally occupied.
The state package said that though the total cost of 2,257 acres had been pegged at Rs 275.51 crore, 320 acres were in the possesion of illegal occupants and could not be transferred by the HEC to the state. Hence, a payment of Rs 75.30 crore as cost of this land would be withheld.
The package thus cleared a proposal to pay HEC Rs 200.21 crore after deducting the cost of illegally occupied land.
Set up in 1961 over 7,500 acres in Hatia (Ranchi), the factory and residential complexes that comprises HEC is currently spread over 3,500 acres. The remaining 4,000 acres have been lying vacant for long. However, over the past five decades, the corporation leased out several thousand of acres to state and central government PSUs.
Insiders say since 1961, some 22 colonies have come up on HEC lands. Most people who settled in the HEC colonies were from Ranchi and came in to work as labour. Over the years, thanks to “official” support, numbers swelled.
