Latest news with #RehabilitationandResettlementAct
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
High court issues notice to Punjab on plea against land pooling policy
Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Wednesday issued notice to the Punjab govt on a petition challenging the Land Pooling Policy-2025. Gurdeep Singh Gill, 72, a resident of Phagla village in Ludhiana district, has sought directions to quash the notification dated June 4, 2025, along with the Land Pooling Policy 2025, being ultra vires and an act of "colourable legislation", violating fundamental rights. Gill, who claimed to have turned unproductive land capable of producing multi-crops with a fully developed irrigation system, said the policy includes his land without following the mandatory procedure under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR Act) 2013. "There are also no enabling provisions under LARR 2013 to frame or implement such a land pooling policy. Instead, the competent statutory framework for such urban development and land pooling in Punjab is the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act 1995, which has been arbitrarily bypassed," the petition said, adding no social impact assessment report was either prepared or published according to provisions of law. Moreover, according to the petition, none of the gram panchayats or gram sabhas were approached or consulted by the state before bringing the policy. A division bench comprising Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Deepak Manchanda issued the notice after taking cognisance of the petition. MSID:: 122998882 413 |
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Himachal cabinet approves new compassionate job rules, more nursing seats, hydro project cancellations
Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to amendments to the state govt's existing compassionate employment policy. In the revised policy, the annual income eligibility criterion per family has been enhanced from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Priority for compassionate appointments will now be given to widows and parentless applicants below 45 years of age, as well as to the dependents of govt officials who died while performing duty. In cases where vacancies under the existing 5% quota for such appointments are unavailable, the cabinet permitted a one-time relaxation of this quota to ensure eligible applicants are accommodated. The cabinet also decided to increase the number of BSc Nursing seats at Sister Nivedita Government Nursing College, Shimla, from 60 to 100. It also approved the establishment of a new BSc Nursing College with an annual intake of 60 seats at Dr Rajendra Prasad Govt Medical College, Tanda in Kangra, along with the creation and filling up of 27 posts of various categories. It also allowed engaging women workers in shops and commercial establishments to work in night shifts from 7pm to 7am to ensure gender equality. A decision was also taken to grant maternity benefits to every woman employee working in such establishments as prescribed under the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961. Industry and mining A cabinet sub-committee headed by industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan has been constituted for the development of a 300-acre medical device park in Nalagarh. The sub-committee has been asked to submit a report in two months. It also gave the nod to amendments to the Himachal Pradesh Minor Minerals (Concession) and Minerals (Prevention of Illegal Mining, Transportation and Storage) Rules, 2015. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now As per the revised provisions, contractors or agencies engaged in road cutting will now be permitted to use the generated material, during the de-siltation and maintenance of reservoir projects, for captive purposes. Any leftover stacked raw material or finished product, along with the entire material generated, shall be auctioned by the designated committee in accordance with the prescribed procedure. Approval was also given for the extension of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the state govt and Alliance Air Aviation Ltd for operating flights on the Shimla–Dharamshala–Shimla route till June 30, 2026. To facilitate the expansion of Kangra airport, the cabinet granted a one-year extension, up to Aug 16, 2026, under Section 26 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, for land acquisition proceedings. A nod was given to the draft development plan for the Dhaulakuan Majra planning area in Sirmaur district to conserve natural resources and scenic beauty while promoting sustainable economic development in the region. Power projects The cabinet also allowed the cancellation of 172 small hydro projects below 5 megawatts (MW) under Himurja, where construction work was stalled for an extended period. The cancelled projects will be re-advertised. A decision was also taken to apply a uniform free-power royalty of 12% along with an additional 1% for the local area development fund for all hydro projects up to 5 MW that will be allotted in future. It was also decided to cancel 22 hydroelectric projects above 5 MW, where implementation agreements were not signed, previously allotted by the directorate of energy. For the rest of the projects, a time up to Aug 5 was allowed for submission of the replies to the notices served. It was also decided to constitute a committee to negotiate with 14 project developers for an out-of-court settlement for the refund of the principal amount of upfront premium, without interest.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Hindu
New bus terminal to come up near Kanirowther Lake in Erode at ₹102.40 crore
The State government has accorded administrative sanction for the acquisition of land and the establishment of a new bus terminal near Kanirowther Lake on Sathy Road, in the district, at an estimated cost of ₹102.40 crore. The existing Central Bus Terminal, set up in 1973, is located in the core city area along Mettur and Sathy Road. It currently handles nearly 4,100 city, mofussil, and intercity bus services daily. To decongest city roads, the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for the Erode Local Planning Area, prepared by the Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL), recommended the development of satellite bus stands at Solar and on Sathy Road. Construction of a bus terminal on 23 acres at Solar, at a cost of ₹63.50 crore, is nearing completion and is expected to function in a few months. Buses bound for Karur, Tiruchi, Madurai, and Kanniyakumari are likely to be operated from there. To facilitate land acquisition for the Sathy Road terminal, the State-level sanctioning committee, during its 20th meeting on October 6, 2023, approved ₹138.44 crore under the Infrastructure and Development Fund. The land, measuring 13.50 acres, will be acquired under the provisions of The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The Municipal Administration and Water Supply Department, through G.O. (Ms) No. 113 dated June 24, 2025, granted administrative sanction to the Erode Corporation for the project. The Corporation also owns a portion of land adjoining the proposed site, which will be integrated into the development. A senior Corporation engineer told The Hindu that with the government order in place, work is under way to finalise the design of the terminal and secure necessary approvals. Parallelly, the land acquisition process has commenced. Tenders will be floated once the design is finalised, and the work is expected to begin in a span of three to five months. Construction is expected to be completed in two years. A joint committee comprising officials from the district administration, Corporation, transport and police departments, and bus operators will determine the routes to be operated from the new terminal. It is likely that services towards Gobichettipalayam and Sathyamangalam will be shifted to the new facility, easing congestion at the existing terminal.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
GMRL moves to acquire plots in sectors 4, 9 for Metro line
The Gurugram Metro Rail Limited (GMRL) is planning to acquire three properties along the route which are affecting the alignment of the metro network that the corporation is building from Millenium City Centre to Cyber Hub. The three property owners have agreed to give their land to GMRL, officials said on Monday. The land acquisition will be done as per RFCTLARR Act 2013 and the compensation will also be finalised under the same act. (HT Archive) GMRL officials said that the committee which was formed to acquire private land for the project has held multiple meetings with the property owners, and obtained their consent for acquisition of the three properties. The metro corporation has now sought details of the average sale price of similar properties to assess the compensation for these three. One of the houses is located in Sector 9 while the two others are in Sector 4. In the first house, the area impacted by alignment is 83 square metre (sqm) while the second house is affecting 91sqm and the third house is impacting 426sqm of the metro route, as per a communique sent by GMRL to Gurugram's land acquisition officer. 'This committee, under the chairmanship of SDM, held meetings with the affected parties and consent to give their land for the Metro Project from the owners of 3 affected houses has been obtained. The land acquisition will be done as per RFCTLARR Act 2013 and the compensation will also be finalised under the same act,' a letter issued by GMRL on July 24 mentioned. To be sure, the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013) is a law that regulates land acquisition and provides compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement for those affected by land acquisition. A senior GMRL official said, 'The metro corporation is fast tracking the acquisition of private land and strenuous efforts are being made in this regard. We are also working to ensure that the RRTS station at Cyber City, which will be constructed by NCRTC is finalised at the earliest and for that a high level committee has also been formed. We will also award the tender for civil construction soon,' the official said.
Hindustan Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Land pooling policy challenged in HC, plea flags statutory safeguards
The Punjab government's land pooling policy, aimed at acquiring nearly 65,000 acres across the state for residential and industrial development, has been challenged in the Punjab and Haryana high court. A petition by social activists Naveender PK Singh and Samita Kaur was taken up by the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry. (Getty Images/iStockphoto) A petition by social activists Naveender PK Singh and Samita Kaur was taken up by the bench of chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Sanjiv Berry. However, the hearing was deferred as petitioners sought permission to amend the plea. The PIL seeks quashing of the recent notification of the state government issued on July 4 and subsequent changes made, whereby land pooling policy has been notified for acquisition and urbanization of multi-crop irrigated agricultural lands in over 50 villages (24,311 acres of area) in Ludhiana and 21,550 acres separately proposed to be taken for industrial purposes in Ludhiana and Mohali. It argues that the policy fails to comply with statutory safeguards, including social and environmental impact assessments, fair compensation and rehabilitation of affected families. The move to acquire such a large chunk of land would have widespread negative effects on the agrarian economy of Punjab, which is a major contributor to the food grain supply of the country, the petition argues, adding that the policy is directly contrary to the spirit and mandate of the right to fair compensation and transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR Act), which is a central legislation. During the hearing, the state's counsel told the court that the policy was notified under the 2025 policy and not under the LARR Act 2013. Upon this, counsel for the petitioner sought to amend the petition and the matter was adjourned for August 19. 'The policy is being used as an indirect and illegal method of land acquisition that sidesteps the mandatory procedures laid down under the LARR Act, particularly Sections 4, 8, and 10, which mandate social and environmental impact assessments and bar acquisition of fertile agricultural land except in exceptional circumstances,' the plea claims, further alleging that the state government, through agencies like the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), is pressing ahead with the project despite massive opposition. 'More than 1,600 landowners and farmers have already submitted affidavits before GLADA opposing the move. Media reports have extensively covered the protests and highlighted discrepancies between the state's claims and the situation on the ground,' the plea further said, demanding the court's intervention. The plea says in the absence of a comprehensive social impact assessment (SIA) and the formulation of a corresponding SIA plan, the policy is not only 'procedurally defective' but is also arbitrary and violative of the fundamental rights of the affected landowners and farming communities.
