Dadupur-Nalvi canal: Surjewala dubs Hry govt's decision on compensation 'Tughlaqi farman'

Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Thursday dubbed the Haryana government's decision to ask farmers, whose lands were acquired for the now-scrapped Dadupur-Nalvi canal project, to return the compensation amount with interest to get them back a "Tughlaqi farman" (autocratic decision).

He said justice will be done to the affected farmers if the Congress comes to power in the state after assembly elections next year.

"The Supreme Court bench of Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice Arun Mishra had decided that the Singur farmers who have taken the compensation in lieu of the acquisition need not return it as they had been deprived of their lands and its fruits for last 10 years and the same conditions are applicable in case of the affected farmers in Dadupur-Nalvi canal project," Surjewala said.

But the BJP-led Haryana government has decided that the original land owners, or their legal heirs, will have to deposit the compensation received, along with interest due for the period from the date of receipt of the amount, in the designated account for repossession of their lands, he said.

"This decision stands in total contravention of the decision of the Supreme Court in the Singur case and is totally against the law," the Kaithal MLA said in a statement here.

The land acquisition for the Dadupur-Nalvi canal project, which was scrapped by the state government last year, began way back in 1987 and continued till 2009.

Surjewala claimed that the farmers, after their lands are returned to them, will have to spend about Rs 40 lakh per acre to make them cultivable after clearing the infrastructure constructed on their land by the state government.

"The BJP government had dealt a double blow to the farmers which makes it amply clear that the intention of this regime is to keep the matter hanging fire and harass the farmers," he alleged.

He added that the Congress stands in support of the farmers and will extend all legal help to them if they decide to move court.

In September last year, the Haryana government approved a proposal of Irrigation and Water Resources Department to denotify 1,019.2994 acres of land acquired for construction of the canal.

One of the reasons cited for scrapping the project was that the construction of channels which were to irrigate 92,532 hectare area of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra and Ambala districts could not be taken up due to resistance land owners' resistance.

The government had said that the farmers were not interested to give up their land for construction of minor due to the fact that water would be available to them only during rainy season, which is when they do not require it.