Patna. Now only the Divisional Commissioner will settle the land acquisition disputes for NH construction in the state. They will not be able to appoint an arbitrator and also they will not be able to give their power to any other officer to settle the land dispute. In this regard, the Revenue and Land Reforms Department has written a letter to all the collectors, district land acquisition officers and the competent authority of land acquisition. Even before this, a letter has been written from the level of Chief Secretary to all the Divisional Commissioners asking them to follow this instruction. It has been said that there is a provision for this in Section 3G of the National Highway Act 1956. In this regard, there is also an instruction from the Advocate General of the state to follow the Act.
Land acquisition dispute will be resolved quickly
According to sources, in many cases of land acquisition for NH construction, disputes would arise between the land owner and the government regarding land price and other issues. Due to this, the construction of more than a dozen NH projects in the state was delayed by five to ten years. In such a situation, the power of arbitrator was given to the Divisional Commissioners for quick resolution of the land acquisition dispute. In many cases, the Divisional Commissioners had given their powers to the District Land Acquisition Officers or Collectors. The concerned officials did not follow all the rules for settling land disputes. Due to this, compensation was not distributed and due to land not being acquired, there was unnecessary delay in road construction. This increased the project cost.
Land acquisition problem in Munger and Magadha divisions
The State Advocate General, in a letter to the Chief Secretary, has given examples of two such cases in which the Divisional Commissioner cum Arbitrator gave his power to settle the land acquisition dispute to another officer. This includes the commissioners of Munger and Magadh divisions. In several disputes regarding land acquisition for Munger-Mirzachowki NH in Munger division, the then Commissioner of Munger division had instructed other officers to settle them. Similarly, many cases have also come to light in the construction of four lane Patna-Gaya-Dobhi NH-83 in Magadh division.