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The colonizers are having a free run in the State of Haryana. There is hardly a place in the National Capital Region which does not bear the imprint of developers. But when the Government halts its own process so that the developers can reap benefit then eye brows are naturally raised. This is exactly what has happened in Manesar, Gurgaon.
These accusations fly thick and fast in view of the advantages of being close to Delhi that has catapulted Gurgaon in the higer rungs of sought after cities. A dusty, difficult and inhospitable terrain in the best of times it has now transformed into a most sought after destination. The proximity to the international airport and concessions given to industries have drawn some of the best names to it. Maruti might be name that was bogged in controversy in the seventies but today it is the catalyst for development in the region apart from becoming the national car. The forces of development thus unleashed are today changing the landscape and the life of the people. Thus today skyscrapers vie with each other and the floor space ratio is vehemently lobbied for or opposed by the builders depending upon which side of the fence they happen to be at the time of the proposal. Land acquisition and its process and change of land use, CLU for those in the game, are phrases that generate considerable passion, heart burning and jealousy, again depending upon whether a person is in the ruling party or the opposition. These are tools that are profitably used by those who wield them. As a part of this process IMT Manesar was developed, ostensibly having world class facilities that attracted investment from some of the reputed names from the world apart from the expansion unit of Maruti Udyog. At that point in time it was estimated that the place would generate about one lakh employment opportunities. However, this was soon revised to five lakh as the response was massive. Of the 10 sectors of Manesar, 8 had been ear marked for industrial units, 50 acres of land for commercial activity and 250 acres for residential purposes. The fact that actually there would be about 5 lakh workers forced the Haryana government to alter plans so that additional 950 acrs of land situated on the national Highway adjacent to Manesar be acquired. Consequently, on 27 August 2004, when the state was ruled by the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), notification under Section 4 for the acquisition of the said land was published and then on 25 August, 2005, when the Congress government had been voted to power, notification under Section 6 was circulated. A few of the farmers appealed against the acquisition process and got a stay from the court. As a result, of the proposed 950 acres of land only 688 acres was then under the process of being acquired. In normal course, the Collector Land Acquisition takes about two years to give his award and therefore as part of that exercise he wrote to the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), the agency on whose behalf the land was being acquired, to deposit the money for payment to the farmers. HSIIDC too duly deposited Rs. 50 crores with the Collector Land Acquistion on 16 August, 2007. With the acquisition process almost complete and only the formality of disbursing the money remaining, the Government of Haryana instructed the Land Acquisition Collector on 24 August, 2007 to stop the process of acquisition. Normally this would not have raised eye brows as with the change of governments such reversal of decisions are not unknown but the opposition INLD smells a rat in this. It is being alleged that after the land acquisition process was set in motion, which coincided with the change of government in the state, the realty lobby moved in and the land was purchased on large scale by them from the farmers. Since the rate being offered by these builders was much more than what the farmers could have hoped for from the government and the sale was entirely at the risk of the buyer, the farmers hurriedly sealed the deals. The INLD though alleges that this was being done with the connivance of the government as the builders were not only investing money in land that was under process of being acquired but were also applying to the government for the ‘change of land use’ certification so that it could be used for purposes other than farming. To buttress their allegation of a massive scandal the INLD has alleged that Atul Bansal, a colonizer bought about 200 acres of land at the rate of Rs. 2.35 crores per acre. Obviously he would not have invested money in buying land that was not to be released from the process of acquisition. It is pertinent to add that the HSIIDC itself has sold land in that region at the rate of Rs. 72 crore per acre. This gives an idea of the magnitude of the alleged scandal as in the said case 688 acres of and remains involved. If these figures are to be believed and there is no reason to disbelieve them unless the facts are made public, the Government of Haryana has released 688 acres of land that is now estimated to cost more than Rs. 50,000 crores at the rate which the government has sold to people who are not the original owners of the land. The question that makes the government suspect is that why would people buy a land that has been notified for acquisition unless they were confident that the land would ultimately not be acquired. The Government of Haryana can meanwhile be a little more transparent by letting the people know who were the owners of the land when Section 4 for acquisition was first notified and who are the people who are in possession of the land at the time when the process of acquisition was abruptly halted. Also, the people need be told of the reasons the process was stopped at the last moment and was it that reasons for stopping were realized on the last day of the acquisition process. | |
Haryana
is one of those states that has taken maximum advantage from its
geographical location. It is not only close the national capital but
surrounds it from three sides. Moreover, large parts of the State lie in
the National Capital Region (NCR) as a result of which there are special
schemes and funds to bring those regions on par with the national
capital. Not surprisingly the State has the second highest per capita
income in the country. However, this growth and development often
becomes the reason for temptations to the bureaucrats and the
politicians. Hence, the frequent casting of aspersions on their
integrity by their adversaries but it is pertinent to ask if there can
be any smoke without fire?
