By Raja Muzaffar Bhat

On August 5, The Probe reported the story of Bashir Ahmed Bhat, whose land was acquired by the Power Department to construct a power grid station in the New Theed area of Srinagar. Basir and his family told The Probe that the government forcibly acquired their land, and they were being compensated without invoking the central land rules. 

Even after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, many central rules were still not enforced in Jammu and Kashmir. Under the Central Act – The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 – Bashir and his family were entitled to a larger compensation for the land the government acquired. 

Following The Probe’s story on the forcible land acquisition, the Land Acquisition Collector of Srinagar assured us that the government was ready to reassess the compensation to Basheer Ahmed Bhat under the Central Act. “Previously, there was no clarity about this new Act (LARR Act 2013) and its applicability, but now the government has instructed all the land acquisition collectors across J&K to ensure all the new land acquisition proceedings are undertaken under LARR Act, 2013. We were confused in the past, but now it is clear, and we will invoke the central land acquisition law to make payments to the affected landowners,” said SS Bali, Collector, Land Acquisition, Power Development Department, Srinagar.

Speaking to The Probe, Bashir’s son Irfan Hashim said, “I am very happy that the government has now agreed to provide us fair compensation, but my request is that the compensation must be calculated appropriately. The compensation is being made as per the stamp rate of the area with 100 per cent solatium, but this is not the way to calculate it. The collector and the revenue officials must study the Central Act properly and then calculate the compensation. Our land has commercial value, and that should be taken into consideration. More training is needed for revenue officers in J&K on the LARR Act 2013. J&K Govt must consult other states on this if the confusion persists”. 

Read the full story:-

https://theprobe.in/the-probe-impact-will-provide-compensation-under-central-act-collector-tells-the-probe/