NH-29 landowners threaten legal action

Source:- easternmirrornagaland.com

Dimapur, June 14 (EMN): Alleging the DC Dimapur of ‘deliberately omitting key issues,’ the Landowners Union (of) NH-29 has claimed that the discussions held between its members and the district administration on June 10 included more than what the DC had publicised.

According to a statement from the union on Friday, it had asked if the ‘right of way’ (ROW) was applied across Nagaland when considering compensation; and whether the ROW allows the government to “snatch” private land without compensation.

“The government’s claim of 13.5 m (road reservation) from the centre of the road, also notified by the then DC Dimapur, AS Bhatia on April 17, 2000, was set aside and quashed by the Gauhati High Court (Kohima Bench) through its judgment order No. W.P (C) No.98 (K) of 2000,” it stated.

According to the union, it had expressed displeasure at how the government compensated other landowners but “conveniently overlooked” the case of NH-29 landowners.

“Issues on Article 371 `A` raised by the Union was nowhere to be seen or recorded in the official meeting minute, as such, the union wonders as to whether the Article is still enforced in Nagaland or the government has done away with it,” read the statement.

It stated that the DC had mentioned only his claim of ROW on the government’s behalf (i.e. 26 metres of road width) and the Union`s proposal of 34 feet (i.e. width of road to be taken as benchmark). “Since most of the relevant ingredients of the discussion were left out, the union felt the meeting minutes do not reflect a ‘satisfactory discussion’ as it is intended to be.”