Deb stands by land owners - Demand 8 times more than NHAI offer

SOUMYA DE SARKAR, Siliguri, July 9: Minister Gautam Deb today spoke up for prospective landlosers near Siliguri who have demanded almost 8 times more than the rate of compensation offered by the NHAI for widening the NH31D to four lanes.

Deb, the north Bengal development minister in whose constituency the land is located, said about the land owners' demand: "I believe their demands have merit and must be looked into by the NHAI."

Observers said it is the nature of the land and the owners' refusal to register it that has come in the way of the acquisition.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) requires 60 acres in Fulbari that is collectively owned by over 300 families.

For this the authority has offered to pay Rs 1.98 lakh per cottah. The Fulbari National Highway 31D Land Affected Committee wants Rs 15 lakh per cottah.

The land is in a panchayat area, but land owners have pointed out that Fulbari has seen rapid urbanisation in the last few years.

The land owners want to be compensated according to Fulbari's current importance as a growing satellite centre near Siliguri.

But there is a catch.

"It is true that in government records, most of our land is recorded as agricultural land. This is because many of us, even after changing the land's use and using it for residential and commercial purposes, did not make the change in government records as the cost of such conversion is high," said Arun Dutta, a member of the committee for the land owners.

"It seems the NHAI is estimating the compensation considering the land as agricultural. They should understand that all the land is commercial land now and has higher value," Dutta said.

NHAI officials, including its SIliguri project director R.K. Choudhry, who attended today's meeting with Deb and the land owners, refused to speak to the media on this matter. Choudhry refused to speak when called up.

A senior official of the land department said: "The compensation is always calculated on the official character of the land and not considering what purpose the land is being used for now. In order to get the compensation as claimed by the residents of Fulbari, they should have the document that their land, once used for agricultural purposes, has been officially converted for residential or commercial purpose."

Fulbari is a stone's throw from Uttarkanya, the mini- state secretariat.

Several schools, shops and houses have come up and the area has little resemblance to agricultural land.

A new hospital is coming up at Fulbari. There are several shops, markets, showrooms of cars, garages, restaurants and hotels in the area.

Several realtor groups based in Siliguri are focussing on Fulbari now as a potential area for residential complexes.

One of the transit points of the India-Bangladesh border is at Fulbari. It is also at the junction of Gazoldoba Road and the Fulbari Bypass, which makes it more important. From here, one can head for the proposed mega tourism hub in the Dooars while on the other side, there is a food park.

The four-laning of the NH31D, which is part of the proposed East-West Corridor from Gujarat's Porbandar to Silchar in Assam, would boost the already buzzing local economy.

The NH31D in north Bengal is one of the stretches that is holding back the East-West Corridor from becoming entirely operational.

In the meeting today with the NHAI and the land owners, Deb is reported to have said: "People having land in areas like Fulbari, Radhabari and adjoining areas are ready to part with their land for the widening of the highway. They want proper compensation and solatium. The new rules on land acquisition enable them to get 100 per cent solatium on the market value of the land instead of the 30 per cent solatium which has been offered by the NHAI. Moreover, the interest on land should be paid on the base price of the land from 2010 as NHAI, in association with the district administrations, has taken up the task of acquisition back in 2010."

No NHAI official was available to comment on the compensation.

A political observer said Deb had made the comment as the land owners would be his voters in the 2016 Assembly polls.

"Most of these areas where land is required come under the Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly constituency where Deb is the MLA. The Assembly elections are a year away so he cannot afford to antagonise his voters but asking them to agree to the proposal of the NHAI," the observer said.

Asked if he would launch a movement along with the prospective land losers in support of their demand, Deb said: "I believe the situation will not go to that extent. The compensation package will be amicably settled, keeping in view the interest of the landlosers. I believe their demands have merit and must be looked into by the NHAI."

Rupam Ghosh, the secretary of Fulbari National Highway 31D Land Affected Committee, said: "It is natural that land prices are soaring in Fulbari and its adjoining areas. We want the NHAI to consider the commercial value of our land and then fix the compensation. We are ready to part with our land for the road project if we are suitably compensated."

Suresh Roy, the committee's president, said Deb had bolstered their confidence by standing by them. "The minister, who is also the local MLA, has realised that our demands are justified," he said.

Though the NHAI officials refused to comment when asked about the compensation package offered by them, a senior official of the central agency said the compensation was offered in adherence to the land acquisition law.