The issue surrounding the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) at Halga has finally been resolved. Following a meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan, in which farmers expressed their willingness to cooperate with the project, the administration directed the concerned agencies to complete the remaining work within a month.
The land for the STP was acquired around 12 years ago. However, farmers launched a protest and halted work on the project, alleging that they had not received the expected compensation. The matter was later taken up at a meeting in the Deputy Commissioner’s office, where the farmers’ demands were discussed.
Farmer leader Prakash Naik, speaking on behalf of the affected farmers, sought Rs 4 crore in compensation. He also demanded that farmers who lost land for the Basurte dam be given the same compensation. In addition, he urged the administration to assess and compensate the expenses incurred by the present farmers for trees, wells and pipelines on the land.
The Deputy Commissioner said that compensation of Rs 3 lakh per acre had been fixed at the time of land acquisition. He added that, through the efforts of the administration and public representatives, the farmers had already received enhanced compensation. He also clarified that the farmers are free to pursue legal remedies if they seek additional compensation.
After the farmers agreed to cooperate, the Deputy Commissioner instructed the municipal authorities to complete the remaining 10% of the project within a month. One of the key decisions taken in the meeting was to survey the excess land and initiate steps to return it to the farmers. Based on satellite photographs from about 10 years ago, trees were also surveyed and compensation has been proposed.