Land owners demand denotification of lands notified for highway widening in Padua village

Owners whose lands have been notified for acquisition to widen NH 169 between Mangaluru and Sanuru (Karkala) in Padua village in Mangaluru have demanded denotification of their lands as compensation has not been paid to them even after nine years of issuing preliminary notification. Preliminary notification was issued on March 16, 2016.

Talking to reporters here on Friday, Bhoo Maalikara Horata Samiti president Mariyamma Thomas said in the arbitration, the Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner awarded compensation to land losers as per the guidance value of ₹13.35 lakh per cent of land in 2020.

Later, Ms. Thomas said the NHAI filed an appeal before the district court against the Deputy Commissioner’s award and it is pending for more than two years. For the past nine years, the land losers are waiting for the compensation, she said.

If the NHAI has no money to pay compensation to the land losers, then it should initiate steps to denotify the lands and allow owners to make use of their lands. If they want to acquire, the NHAI should pay compensation as per the latest guidance value, along with interest, for delay in payment of compensation, she demanded.

The land losers from Paduva will be forced to launch an agitation in January if steps are not taken by the end of December, she said.

Samiti’s Secretary Vishwajeet also spoke.