In a case dating back fifteen years, the Belgaum City Corporation has finally taken steps to settle a long-pending compensation issue related to road widening. On Friday (25th), the Corporation deposited a cheque of ₹40 lakh with the Govt Authorities. Earlier, ₹50 lakh had already been deposited with the Dharwad Bench of the High Court. With this, the affected owner will receive a total compensation of ₹90 lakh.
The compensation relates to land lost during the widening of the RPD Road. While partial payments had been made earlier, delays led to a contempt petition filed against the Municipal Corporation. Following court orders, the authorities were instructed to complete the payment process. The Land Acquisition Authorities finalized the compensation amount at ₹90 lakh after proper land acquisition procedures were completed. The remaining ₹40 lakh has now been paid, ensuring compliance with the court’s directives. Officials were keen to avoid any further legal trouble, which could have included action against the municipal commissioner.
This is not the first time the municipal body has faced issues over compensation. In August last year, the Corporation was in the news for a ₹20 crore compensation case related to land under the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Udyan in Shahapur. After initial delays and a court order, the Corporation decided to return the disputed land to its original owners, avoiding the hefty payout.
In the RPD Road case, compensation totaling ₹1.5 crore was due to three families who had lost land during the road widening project. Despite a court order, the Corporation delayed payments, prompting all three families to file contempt petitions. So far, only one family has received compensation amounting to ₹90 lakh.
What a case where it should settled then n there? Unless you force the govt. Officials don’t pay.
Fundamentally wrong but the related officials should be dismissed. OK for the win but is it ” JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED “.
More power to the petitioner for not letting go and ensuring this case cabs to a close. Why are not the officials in charge penalized? This should start. Only then good things will happen.