Around 1,170 farmers from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh have sought to reclaim their share of the 2,500 acres acquired in 2004 for the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group-controlled Reliance Power Ltd (RPL) for setting up a 7,400-Mw power plant.
“We will accept applications till January 18,” said a senior official from the Ghaziabad collectorate. More farmers are expected to apply. “The first lot is over. We are further expecting three more lots,” said Ashish Pratap Singh, a lawyer representing farmers.
A Reliance Power spokesperson declined comment, saying “the matter is subjudice and is placed before the Supreme Court”. A company official said these applications have no meaning.
Last month, the Allahabad high court had quashed a February 2004 notification of the UP government for using emergency powers to buy land for the project. Side-stepping the legal provision to first invite objections from land owners was unwarranted, the court ruled. It said farmers who didn’t want to let go the land could apply for its return, if they returned the compensation given.
Following this, the district collectorate had invited objections from the farmers, through a notification of December 19. “The farmers were given 30 days to file their objections and the entire process will run for 3-4 more days. Some farmers are seeking more time, saying it’s a huge amount. Tomorrow morning, those farmers will file applications asking for a provision to pay the compensation amount in instalments, as the entire amount is not available (now) with them,” said Singh.
Reliance Power has already appealed against the high court’s order in the Supreme Court, claiming the company followed all legal processes during acquisition of the land.
