UT gets ready to recover money paid to farmer for phase of IT park
The UT administration has initiated the process to recover money from farmers, who had been paid for land acquired for Phase 3 of Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park (RGCTP). In October last year, the Supreme Court had cancelled the Phase 3 project of RGCTP for which the administration had acquired 272 acres from nearly 200 farmers, of whom 35 farmers had been paid Rs 30 crore.
The UT administration has initiated the process to recover money from farmers, who had been paid for land acquired for Phase 3 of Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park (RGCTP).
In October last year, the Supreme Court had cancelled the Phase 3 project of RGCTP for which the administration had acquired 272 acres from nearly 200 farmers, of whom 35 farmers had been paid Rs 30 crore.
The administration has written to its legal representative to approach the apex court for issuing directions to the farmers to return the compensation amount with interest.
The authorities had taken the step after many farmers approached the administration and said they would be unable to refund the money. More than Rs 75 crore was to be paid to the farmers and, as per rules, the amount was deposited in the court.
After the project was cancelled, 15 farmers approached the administration and requested it to keep their share of land.
They said they did not have the financial resources to refund the money. Most land of such farmers has already been encroached upon and the administration has failed to get it vacated.
Soon after, the administrator took opinion from the legal remembrancer and urged the apex court to issue directions to the farmers. Earlier, the administration had decided not to challenge the Supreme Court's decision to cancel the proposed phase3 of RGCTP.