MP High Court Reserves Verdict On Land Acquisition For Ujjain-Jaora Greenfield Four-Lane Project

The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court (HC) has concluded hearings on three petitions challenging land acquisition for the Ujjain-Jaora Greenfield four-lane project. After approximately 20 minutes of arguments on Tuesday, the court announced it would reserve its verdict.

Vishal Chauhan, representing the farmers, contended that rules were not adhered to during land acquisition in Sodang and other villages within Ujjain district. He argued that claims and objections should have been heard by the collector, but hearings were conducted by the sub-divisional officer, with orders issued by the collector, which they deemed a violation of a Supreme Court order.

The petitioners also raised concerns that a government road already exists near the proposed acquisition site, suggesting that a minor adjustment in the road's alignment could avoid acquisition. They accused the administration of passing acquisition orders without considering their objections. The State government's advocate general, Prashant Singh, argued that the petitions lacked merit and urged their dismissal, emphasizing that the project's development is crucial due to the upcoming Simhastha Mahaparv and that delaying such an important endeavor would not be prudent.

The petitioners' counsel pointed to land acquisition laws and prior court decisions, asserting that the authority to hear claims, address objections, and issue legally justified orders lies exclusively with the collector, not other officers. Despite the HC's completion of hearing the petitions filed by farmers from three villages, construction work has already commenced on certain sections of the project. The road base has been laid near Chowki Jurnada village, and work is anticipated to accelerate once the rains cease.

However, the affected farmers expressed dissatisfaction regarding the compensation they were receiving. They claimed that the government initially announced compensation at four times the value of the acquired land, but they are only being paid twice the value.