KOCHI: Kerala High Court has enhanced the compensation to the landowners whose land was acquired for the expansion of Phase II of Infopark, Kochi.
The court said that the petitioners are entitled to an amount of Rs 7,06,745 per Are for category I(a) (Dry land with access to tar road). They are also entitled to all the statutory benefits as per the provisions of Sections 23(1)A, 23(2), and 28 of the Land Acquisition Act, with proportionate costs. With this order, the land owners will get Rs 35,05 455 for one Are (`14 lakh/Cent) as compensation.
The High Court issued the order on an appeal filed by 34 land owners challenging the order of the Sub Court, Perumbavoor, declining to enhance the compensation to land owners.
The petitioners argued that they had not sought a different amount of compensation, but an enhancement on parity as per the judgment of the High Court in 2018.
The government issued the notification on September 20, 2007, in respect of the total acquisition of more than 100 acres. The land of the claimants is situated in different survey numbers of Kunnathunad village in Ernakulam District. Some residents gave the land for the amount fixed by the government, but later, 34 landowners approached the Perumbavoor Sub-Court alleging that the compensation was less.
The petitioners approached the High Court after the Sub-Court dismissed the petition citing that the petitions became infructuous. But the High Court set aside the Sub-Court’s order.