COIMBATORE: As the farmers who gave their land for the construction of Bharathiyar University near Maruthamalai in Coimbatore have been protesting seeking enhanced compensation, the district revenue department wrote to the state government seeking the release of `160 crore to release the compensation amount to the farmers.
Sources said that a total of 994 acres of land were acquired from around 1,200 farmers for constructing the University in 1982, and the farmers were provided around Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 as compensation for each acre of land. However, as the farmers felt that it was a meager amount against the land and sought an enhanced compensation, they approached the court seeking for an enhanced compensation from the government.
Though the lower court verdict in 2007 came in favour of the land owners, and it directed the government to provide an enhanced compensation of around Rs 2,000 to 3,300 per cent of land, the government went against the order and appealed the High Court, but the High Court upheld the verdict.
However, farmers claimed that the government has not settled the compensation amount so far. Meanwhile, the district revenue department has worked to calculate the enhanced compensation sum and sent the letter to the state government seeking the fund.
A senior official from the revenue department said, “We have sent a letter to the government seeking `160 crore to settle the land owners. Once the government releases the funds, the amount will be settled. However, we have no reply from the government so far.”