HC issues statutory notice to S Rly GM, Dy Chief Engineer

The Madras High Court bench today issued notice to Southern Railway General Manager Ashok K Agarwal and Deputy Chief Engineer of Madurai division for not obeying its order of June last year to give compensation for land acquired from a private firm, as per the Dindigul Collector's orders in July 2006.
The court had on June 19, 2014 directed that compensation be given for the land purchased from a private firm, as per the orders of the Collector on July 29, 2006.
Justice R Mahadevan today directed the officials to be present in the court within four weeks and submit an explanation for not following the court's direction.

The petitioner, Meenakshi, Executive Director of the private firm, submitted that the Collector had acquired their one acre land at Athianoothu village for a project in 1990. But no compensation was given. After about 14 years, the state government said they did not require it and issued an order to take it back on March 18 2014.
Meanwhile, the Railways constructed a building and installed equipment in the acquired site.
The petitioner submitted that if the administration did not require the land, they should have removed the super structure and other equipment and handed the land over in the same condition as when purchased. But they did not do so.

He petitioned the Railways in 2004, seeking proper compensation for the land.

On July 29, 2006, the Collector directed Railways to give Rs 11.89 crore as compensation but no action was taken by the latter to give it, the petitioner said.
He then petitioned the Railways on January 1, 2014 to pay him compensation of Rs 20 crore and when nothing came of it, moved the court.
The court directed the GM to take into account the Collector's order to pay the compensation (Rs 11.89 crore) within six weeks.
Both the GM and the Deputy Chief Engineer sought time to implement the order and the court gave them eight weeks till August 13, 2014.

The Railways had also written to the Collector, informing him they would require the land in future. The Deputy Chief Engineer also asked the petitioner to approach the Collector on his demand for compensation.
The petitioner said the officials had not issued any fresh notification on the land acquisition nor paid the compensation decided. It was illegal on their part to demand the land back and unfair on the part of the Chief Engineer to to ask him to again approach the Collector.
Hence, he sought a direction from the court to punish the two Railway officials for wilfully disobeying the court order.