According to the locals, the District Administration office (DAO) on July 6 notified land owners in the town planning site to apply for compensation within 15 days. [break]However, before the deadline ended, then Chief District Officer (CDO) Basudev Dahal fixed the price for the land at a meeting of the Land Acquisition Committee.
“We were happy about the new urban development in our area and were planning to apply for compensation. However, the DAO unilaterally determined the land price without waiting for expiry of the deadline it had set,” said land owner Keshar Singh Majhi.
They said that CDO Dahal fix the land rate under pressure from the the Urban Development Division, Surkhet. According to the Land Acquisition Act, 2034 (1977), 15 days should be allowed for claiming compensation. As per Section 18(A) and Section 19 of the Act, the CDO cannot determine the price of such land before deciding the actual list of landowners eligible for compensation.
According to lawyer Durga Prasad Sapkota, it is against the law for the DAO to forward the decision process before the deadline set by itself ends. “It is imperative for landowners to accept the price of the land as determined by the acquisition committee, but it is also the responsibility of the DAO to wait for completion of the deadline,” said Sapkota.
According to sources, Surkhet-based Urban Development Office, which is the main authority for forwarding the land acquisition process, pressed the DAO to decide the land rate, fearing that the budget allocated for the purpose would get frozen.
Last year, the government had earmarked Rs 5 million as compensation for land to be acquired for the new town development in Rakamkarnali.
“We had sent the budget immediately after determination of the land price but people seem reluctant to receive the compensation amount,” said Tapendra Bahadur Khadka, chief of the Urban Division Office, Surkhet.
The Land Acquisition Committee has fixed a price of Rs 250 per square meter for agricultural land and Rs 500 for land in the market area. “We are not saying the price should be higher or lower but our question is why the committee was in such hurry to determine the price without the participation of landowners in the process,” said Khadak Bahadur Majhi, a local. He said the price should be determined through a meeting with the participation of the land owners.
Rakamkarnali is one 10 sites along the mid-hill highway selected for new town developments. The government was preparing to acquire 40 ropani of land in Rakamkarnali for urban development.
“We are waiting for an order from the ministry or the regional administration office regarding the issue. However, the rate fixed by the committee cannot be reviewed now,” said incumbent CDO Umesh Kumar Dhakal.
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