The Indian Express: Jalandhar: Thursday, June 28, 2018.
A case of
paying excess solatium to the tune of Rs 4.9 crore to land owners has come to
light in the multi-crore Hoshiarpur land scam. Had the solatuim been paid to
all the owners from whom land had been taken for Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur four
laning project in 2016, an extra burden of Rs 9.93 crore would have been put on
the state exchequer. As instead of calculating the solatium on the market value
of the land or any other structure, it was calculated on the 12 per cent rate
of interest as well.
The
information has been procured through an RTI application from the sub-divisional
magistrate’s (SDM) office in Hoshiarpur on June 19. In a letter of
correspondence by the Principal Accountant General (PAG), Punjab, with the
office of special chief secretary, department of revenue and rehabilitation,
the issue of excess solatium has been discussed.
The PAG
correspondence, dated July 26, 2017, mentioned that while checking the records,
it was noticed that the SDM, Hoshiarpur, who was the competent authority under
National Highway Act, 1956, for land acquisition for the NHAI projects, announced
the final award on April 26, 2016, of Rs 286.36 crore, including 7 crore, on
the office expenses. “The competent authority, instead of awarding solatium of
Rs 133.22 crore, including 12 per cent rate of interest on the market value of
the land, building and structures, besides trees, prescribed under Section 30
of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition,
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, awarded solatium of Rs 143.15 crore,
by awarding the solatium on interest also,” revealed the correspondence.
The report
further said that it resulted into extra burden of Rs 9.93 crore on government
exchequer. The SDM office, Hoshiarpur, has disbursed the compensation of Rs
141.46 crore to the land owners up to June 30, 2017, which resulted into
proportionate loss of Rs 4.9 crore.
On being
pointed out in audit, the department stated that matter would be looked into,
mentioned the report.
As much as
41.65 hectare land was acquired for the four laning in Hoshiarpur.
The PAG letter
said that the total payment required for this purpose was Rs 276.36 crore
against Rs 286.29 crore, which was deposited in the account of the competent
authority.
Right to
Information (RTI) activists Rajiv Vashisht, who had exposed this scam,
questioned the NHAI authorities that when the land for the same project was
also acquired in Jalandhar district and they had paid the rate of interest on
the market value, then how could they not see it in Hoshiarpur.
He said that
after his complaint to the PAG, this payment was stopped.
He also
questioned the Congress government on what it has done in this direction till
date. “When this scam was exposed in 2016, the SAD-BJP was in power and then
leader of Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi along, with all the Congress MLAs
from Hoshiarpur, had visited the farmers whose land was acquired for this
purpose and assured them help, but now they should tell that what they have
done in this case till date,” questioned the RTI activist.
Meanwhile, as
per the records, for this project earlier the competent authority had demanded
Rs 800 crore, but the NHAI in its letter dated January 14, 2016, had refused to
pay this heavy amount, and then it had reduced it to around Rs 290 crore.
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