Landowner asks HSVP to stop construction on his land after court order

Source: hindustantimes.com

Even nearly two months after getting a stay from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, a landowner has alleged that construction activities on his nine acres of land in Sector 57 have not stopped and the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) has failed to implement the order in letter and spirit.

On Tuesday, the landowner, Vijaypal Yadav, along with other co-owners, also submitted a complaint to the Gurugram police commissioner seeking his intervention. Prior to that, he had also submitted applications in the office of HSVP administrator and estate officer, Gurugram.

Hearing Yadav’s petition, the high court on July 18 had directed that status quo be maintained on the said land on which around 150 plots have been allotted to individual applicants by the HSVP.

“We have approached the HSVP officials and asked them to stop construction on individual plots, but no action has been taken so far. We have neither taken compensation for this land nor the HSVP deposited the money in the account of the court,” said Yadav.

Yadav further said that the police commissioner assured them that “directions of the court will be implemented”.

Yadav and other co-owners have been demanding more compensation for their land and had moved the court over the issue.

The acquisition of the said land in Sector 57 started in 2000 and was completed around 2003. The plots were offered for possession to allottees in 2004, HSVP officials said, adding that some of the allottees have started construction.

Yadav said that they had approached the court against the acquisition in 2000 itself, and have not accepted compensation from the authority. “We have been fighting the case since then. After the July 18 court order, we have submitted applications to the HSVP administrator and the estate officer in this regard,” he said.

When asked about the issue, HSVP officials said they have completely stopped giving permission regarding construction, transfer, sale and purchase of plots on land on which the court has directed to maintain status quo. “Status quo is being maintained as per the directions of the high court. We are not giving any new permission on this land. However, the authority will file a petition against this order as it would be very difficult to find 150 alternative plots for the allottees,” said Chander Shekhar Khare, administrator, HSVP, Gurugram. He further said that regarding complaints of construction, he will ask the officials to verify and take necessary action till the matter is resolved.

Local landowners allege that most of the plots in the sector have been bought by property dealers and builders from original allottees at a very low price and they are now making a killing at their cost. The plots in question are of different sizes, such as four marlas (121 square yards), 10 marlas (302.5 square yards) and one kanal (605 square yards). The plots were sold at an average rate of Rs 10,000 per sq yard in 2004.

Yadav said that a number of other landowners in Sector 57 had approached the court against acquisition of land in 2006 and are fighting the cases in the Supreme Court. “In 2013 when new Land Acquisition Act came into force, we sought relief under section 24 (2) of the Act,” he said, adding that acquisition was not completed in five years and compensation was not paid as per the rules.