Mumbai: The state government has amended the Bombay Highways Act of 1955, enabling the payment of compensation that is five times the ready reckoner rate in rural areas. This provision will clear hurdles in land acquisition for the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway (Samruddhi Mahamarg).
The state government has made the Act applicable to land acquisition for state highways, district and rural roads, which in turn will inflate the budgets of the public works department (PWD) and rural development department.
The government is acquiring the land for other infrastructural projects and for the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to set up industrial corridors under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013 enacted by the Union government.
The state is acquiring land with consent of the locals in where the compensation awarded is up to five times the ready reckoner rate in rural areas and 2.5 times in urban areas.
As a special case for the Sammruddhi Mahamarg, the state had awarded a special package and granted compensation of up to five times the ready reckoner rate.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has acquired 65 per cent of the land till date with this formula by taking the consent of locals and using the Bombay Highways Act.
Though enhanced compensation was granted for the Sammuddhi Mahamarg, a provision for the same was not made in the Act.
Now, a situation that was seen as discrimination had arisen in the state, as some farmers got five times the compensation for land on which the Sammruddhi Mahamarg will be built while other farmers whose lands were acquired under the Act for district and rural roads got a smaller amount.
Considering the legal issues, the necessary provisions were made on Tuesday by PWD, which will be applicable for the rural development department also. As the compensation has been increased, the budget for roads will also obviously increase, said senior officials. The state Cabinet gave its nod to the provisions on Tuesday and recommended that the governor promulgate an ordinance as the legislature is not in session.
