NH-29 landowners to seek legal recourse on compensation issue

DIMAPUR, JUNE 14 (MExN): The Landowners Union NH-29 (Purana Bazaar- Chümoukedima) has issued a statement against the ‘official meeting minute’ forwarded by the Deputy Commissioner Dimapur to the Government of Nagaland on June 10 while regretting that the DC deliberately omitted key issues raised by them during the said meeting. 

Rephrasing the relevant issues raised during the meeting, the Union in a press statement said it asked whether Right Of Way (ROW) was applied across Nagaland while considering compensation and if ROW allowed the “government to snatch away private land without considering compensation.”

The Union argued that the government’s claim of 13.5 m (road reservation) from the center of the road, also notified by the then DC Dimapur AS Bhatia on April 17, 2000 was set aside and quashed by the Guhati High Court (Kohima Bench) through its judgement order No. WP © No. 98 (K) of 2000. 

It also stated that the issues on article 371 ‘A’ raised by the Union was nowhere to be seen or recorded in the official meeting minute which has made them wonder as to whether “the article is still enforced in Nagaland or the government has done away with it.”

The Union therefore regretted that the DC, Dimapur had mentioned only his claim of ROW on government’s behalf and the Union`s proposal. 

Since most of the relevant ingredients of the discussion were left out, the union felt the meeting minutes do not reflect a ‘satisfactory discussion’ as it is intended to be.

Therefore, the Union said it is left with no other option but to seek legal recourse for justice.