The Madras High Court has quashed the interim compensation awarded for lands acquired for Phase-II expansion of Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) in the city, based on old land acquisition Act and directed the authorities to follow the new law enacted in 2013 that gave better compensation to land owners.
Partly allowing a batch of petitions from owners, whose lands had been acquired, judge M Sathyanarayanan set aside the interim compensation awarded by the Special Tahsildar (land acquisition), MRTS Phase-II Extension, on September 15, 2014, towards the lands acquired for the extension of the railway line from Velachery to St Thomas Mount.
He directed the authorities to tender interim compensation to the owners by following provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013,which came into force from January 1, 2014.
Section 40(3) of the act provided for better compensation package to owners of acquired lands.
The judge ordered them to complete the exercise as expeditiously as possible and not later than three months.
“All the writ petitions are partly allowed,” he said, directing the appropriate government shall make every endeavour to frame rules and follow the relevant provisions as expeditiously as possible to give complete effect to “the benevolent provisions” of the 2013 Act.
The Judge, however, held as valid the acquisition of land already made.
