Times of India: Kullu: Tuesday, 16th Jan 2024.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has withheld the payment to eight persons, who had sought compensation despite having built structures on the government land on Kiratpur-Manali highway.
According to information procured under the RTI Act by Bilaspur-based Four Lane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti, the estimated compensation amount for the illegal structures was assessed at around Rs 18 lakh.
The illegal structures were built in Mandi district and acquired during the widening of Kiratpur-Manali highway. As per the information, the illegal structures were built along the highway in Aut. When NHAI realised that these structures were built on the government land, the payment was withheld recently.
The RTI information also reveals that around 200 illegal structures were acquired during the highway expansion process in Kullu district. There was a demand for compensation for these structures as well, but NHAI had refused to pay. Similarly, in Mandi district, around 100 illegal structures were acquired. However, no compensation was paid by NHAI.
Despite NHAI’s recent refusal to pay for the structures built on government land, at least 13 encroachers from Kullu and Mandi districts have moved courts seeking compensation.
According to Madan Sharma, general secretary of the committee, NHAI has adopted a dual policy of compensation.
“On the one hand, NHAI refused to pay compensation to illegal encroachers, but on the other it paid handsomely to encroachers while going against its own rules and directions. Moreover, it has also failed to recover the illegal compensation paid,” he claimed.
It may be mentioned here that around Rs 5 crore was paid as compensation to government land encroachers between 2015 and 2019 by NHAI during the land acquisition process.
According to Four Lane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti, in many cases, compensation was also claimed by encroachers showing buildings to be on the private land allegedly through a nexus between the revenue and NHAI officials.
NHAI had in 2018 ordered the land acquisition department to provide a list of all such structures constructed on government land and initiate action for recovering the compensation paid.
However, the total recovery is still pending even after more than five years of the order.
National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has withheld the payment to eight persons, who had sought compensation despite having built structures on the government land on Kiratpur-Manali highway.
According to information procured under the RTI Act by Bilaspur-based Four Lane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti, the estimated compensation amount for the illegal structures was assessed at around Rs 18 lakh.
The illegal structures were built in Mandi district and acquired during the widening of Kiratpur-Manali highway. As per the information, the illegal structures were built along the highway in Aut. When NHAI realised that these structures were built on the government land, the payment was withheld recently.
The RTI information also reveals that around 200 illegal structures were acquired during the highway expansion process in Kullu district. There was a demand for compensation for these structures as well, but NHAI had refused to pay. Similarly, in Mandi district, around 100 illegal structures were acquired. However, no compensation was paid by NHAI.
Despite NHAI’s recent refusal to pay for the structures built on government land, at least 13 encroachers from Kullu and Mandi districts have moved courts seeking compensation.
According to Madan Sharma, general secretary of the committee, NHAI has adopted a dual policy of compensation.
“On the one hand, NHAI refused to pay compensation to illegal encroachers, but on the other it paid handsomely to encroachers while going against its own rules and directions. Moreover, it has also failed to recover the illegal compensation paid,” he claimed.
It may be mentioned here that around Rs 5 crore was paid as compensation to government land encroachers between 2015 and 2019 by NHAI during the land acquisition process.
According to Four Lane Visthapit and Prabhavit Samiti, in many cases, compensation was also claimed by encroachers showing buildings to be on the private land allegedly through a nexus between the revenue and NHAI officials.
NHAI had in 2018 ordered the land acquisition department to provide a list of all such structures constructed on government land and initiate action for recovering the compensation paid.
However, the total recovery is still pending even after more than five years of the order.
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