Malda to demand more funds to extend tracks

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 7 OCT.: The Malda district administration will demand more funds from the railway authorities to acquire the required amount lands for laying rail tracks in Gazole after completing a joint inspection by the state land acquisition department and the railway authorities, land acquisition officials said today.

It may be noted that railway authorities have proposed the land acquisition department in Malda for acquiring 115.905 acre of land needed to lay a 12 kilometres long railway track in Gazole. Authorities have estimated Rs 2,95,74,979 for acquiring the required land including 10 per cent administrative cost and “capitalized value” of the land that are to be acquired.

The railway department has already deposited a sum of Rs 1,72,64,500 to the land acquisition department out of the total estimated cost for implementing the Gazole to Gunjaria via Itahar (in North Dinajpur) railway project.

The special land acquisition officer, Mr Tridip Sharangi said: “This is a tentative value for acquiring the land estimated by the railway officials. It is not the final cost that is to be compensated to the land owners. We will estimate the cost of acquiring land and the amount of compensation for the present land possessors after another joint inspection with the rail officials and will then demand the actual sum of money required.”

According to the land acquisition officials, the rate of land will be finalised based on the present rate collected from the registry office and the system of additional cost of land formulated by the government. The land acquisition officials admitted that the market rate of lands is sometimes double or even ten times of the price based on its location. Talking to local people in Gazole and its adjoining areas, it was found that the market rate of a land located close to National or Express Highway is ten times more than the government rate.

The state committee leader of the CPI(ML) Liberation, Mr Naba Biswas, said: “The government rate of agriculture land is Rs 20,000 to 25,000 per acre but its market rate is more than Rs 30,000 to 40,000 inside villages. But along the National or Express Highway the market rate starts from Rs 3 lakh per acre”. Mr Biswas added that the fund estimated by the railways is not enough to keep the interest of the farmers.

The committee would monitor the process of land acquisition and its compensation in the interest of farmers.According to the residents of Gazole, the market rate of lands close to National Highway 34 and Gazole-Balurghat Express Highway is nearly Rs 10 lakh if it is in good locations and after the survey conducted by the railway authorities the rate of land is increasing gradually.

The railway authorities have also estimated Rs 2.12 lakh per acre of a plot of agricultural land. The district president of the Trinamul Congress, Mr Goutam Chakraborty said: “Farmers should be given more added value of a land than the present market rate in Gazole for an alternative livelihood. Miss Mamata Banerjee will never acquire any farmer's land forcibly.”

Citing the Singur issue, after the pull-out of the Nano project, the district secretary of the CPI-M and the district LF chairman, Mr Jiban Moitra, said: "When Miss Banerjee is claiming that entrepreneurs will buy land directly from farmers, why does she has to approach the state government for land acquisition?”