MARGAO, SEPT 15
There’s good news in store for the farmers of Nuvem who have been agitating against acquisition of paddy fields for the proposed football grounds.
If Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition, Margao Johnson Fernandes is to be believed, the land acquisition proceedings to acquire land admeasuring around 50,000 sq mts have lapsed by efflux of time. This implies that the Directorate of Sports will have to approach the office of the Land Acquisition Officer to start the process afresh.
“The land acquisition process to acquire 50,000 sq mts of land at Nuvem for the proposed playground has lapsed. There is no fresh proposal from the government before me to acquire the piece of land,” informed Johnson.
What has brought relief to the farmers is the High Court decision setting aside the land acquisition proceedings on grounds that the land acquisition officer had completely ignored the alterative land as suggested by the petitioners.
Replying to a question, the deputy collector has maintained that there is now no question of conducting a fresh inquiry under section 5A of the Land Acquisition Act, as the entire process has lapsed.
It may be recalled that the High Court had set aside the notification issued by the Goa government under Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act on ground that the land acquisition officer had failed to examine the validity of an alternative site following a petition from the farmers and others against the mega sports project.
While setting aside the land acquisition proceedings, the High Court said the Land acquisition officer completely ignored the specific objection and examination of alternate land cited by the petitioners.
In fact, the court had held that the inspection report of the land acquisition office had failed to reveal inspection of the alternative barren land, adding there is nothing to show that any thought was given to the expenditure that would be incurred for filling up the low-lying paddy fields for making them suitable for the purposes for which the fields were to be acquired and to the effect such acquisition would have on natural drainages of water in Nuvem.
“The expenditure involved while adopting the low lying paddy fields for the public purpose – Development of Playground — by two meters mud filling, therefore, becomes a relevant factor to be taken into account vis-à-vis the alternative barren land,” the court said, adding that the land Acquisition officer, was therefore, under obligation to consider the specific objections by the petitioners.
