KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Tuesday asked the state government to file an affidavit in response to a petition seeking a directive to implement the Moolampilly rehabilitation package for those whose land has been acquired for construction of rail links to the Vallarpadom container terminal.
The court issued the order on a petition filed by K N Sabu and other 45 persons, who were dispossessed of their land for the project, seeking to implement the package without any further delay. The petitioners submitted that despite the lapse of 11 years, they have not been allotted a land suitable for constructing a building. They pointed out that they were evicted following the initiation of the acquisition proceedings.
As part of the rehabilitation programme, the evictees were given certain assurances, but they were never honoured.
The package envisaged a compensation of Rs 2 lakh per cent of the acquired land, payment of a monthly rent of `5000 till they were allotted suitable land for building houses, allotment of four cents of land, Rs 75,000 for piling work in each plot and employment for one member of each family in the Vallarpadom project.
According to them, the plots of land allotted to them are located at a remote sites which have no basic facilitates such as water connection, road connectivity or drainage.
Besides, the plots are marshy. The petitioners are also yet to get the rent as promised by the government, nor have the family members given employment in the Vallarpadam project.