The plea said the social impact assessment for the project has also not been done in accordance with the law.
THE PUNJAB and Haryana High Court on Tuesday referred a matter pertaining to land acquisition at Dhanas and Dadumajra to the Chief Justice for hearing it as a public interest litigation. The petition filed by the residents of these two villages challenges the land acquisition policy of the UT Administration and the notification issued by it for acquisition of land for construction of a road to connect Dakshin Marg in Chandigarh with Punjab boundary, PR-4 road.
In a plea filed through advocate Charanpal Singh Bagri, the residents have contended that the policy is in contravention of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. “The appropriate government is trying to project the acquisition for construction of the connectivity road of 200 feet to serve the public purpose but actually it would serve the ulterior motives of builders, developers and politicians who have already started their development projects,” said the plea, adding that Dhanas Mullanpur Siswan road already connects the Dakshin Marg with Punjab and it is only 2 kilometres away from the proposed road.
The plea said the social impact assessment for the project has also not been done in accordance with the law. Around 5.57 acres at Dhanas and 12.23 acres at Dadumajra are to be acquired for constructing the road, said the plea, adding that the landowners fear that they will be denied the fair compensation for their land and also other benefits as provided under the law pertaining to acquisition.
