Phase III of IT Park: Post-SC order, public notice seeks return of money, landowners say can't pay.

MORE than two years after the Supreme Court quashed the acquisition of 272-acre land for phase III of IT Park, the Chandigarh Administration is yet to get back the compensation that was paid to some of the landowners. The Land Acquisition Officer has now issued a public notice seeking the return of the money, but the landowners say they can't pay.

Some families say that they have spent the money. In other cases, there were multiple owners of a piece of land and the compensation got divided.

The administration had, through several notifications issued between 2006 and 2009, acquired the land in Manimajra. Of the more than 200 landowners, around 35 had accepted the compensation. Others refused, stating that the amount was meagre.

They argued that while the compensation paid in Punjab was more than Rs. 1 crore an acre, the administration had offered around Rs. 18 lakh an acre. They also held protests against the administration. Some of them moved court.

As a result, the administration got land in scattered patches. Since it wanted the entire land, it did not take physical possession of the patches which are still with the original owners.

THE INDIAN EXPRESS