Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 21
The Land Owners Coordination Committee (LOCC), NH-129 A, Chümoukedima Sector under Dimapur district, has put up a three-point list of demands to the Dimapur Deputy Commissioner, relating to 47 “affected” landowners.
In a representation to Dimapur DC dated September 20, LOCC convenor Thepfülhoutuo Shuya urged the DC to issue notice to the NHIDCL restrain its workers “from interfering with the landowners’ right to and/or enjoyment of their land until acquisition, compensation, rehabilitation and/or settlement issues are settled.”
The LOCC also requested the DC to notify the NHIDCL or the competent authority to immediately initiate steps for acquisition of the land required for construction of the road in question and compensate the landowners.
Further, LOCC stated that in the interim, the district administration may pass an “ad-interim injunction order”, immediately restraining NHIDCL from carrying out any further developmental activities on the “aforesaid land till disposal of this representation.”
Earlier in July 6, the LOCC had also submitted a representation to Union minister, MORTH, Nitin Gadkari raising the issue of “forceful execution of works in NH-129A, Package –V, without paying land compensation to the landowners. In the representation, the LOCC said that while the issue of acquisition and compensation was still to be settled, a construction company “forcefully” started work in September 2020. It added that despite the intervention of landowners, the construction company continued “doing the work forcefully”, which compelled LOCC to seek legal actions.
Subsequently, the affected landowners sought for legal redress, which resulted in an “interim injunction” from the court in favour of the petitioners, the LOCC stated.
LOCC convenor, T Shuya, said now it was up to the district administration to take final call on the issue. Meanwhile, it was learnt that landowners of Peren sector of NH-129A (Defence road connecting Maram-Peren-Dimapur) have already been compensated.
Sources also said that MORTH had already sanctioned ‘land compensation component’ for the Chümoukedima sector.
