Key Barapullah extension faces land hurdle

The Barapullah Phase-2 is an extension of the existing elevated corridor, and will provide seamless connectivity between south and east Delhi.

New Delhi: Almost a year after the Delhi government initiated the process to acquire 8.5-acre land for Barapullah Phase-2, landowners of Nangli Razapur village say that the government is yet to finalise the compensation amount. The matter has been hanging fire for over five years due to which the project, which was to be initially completed by May 2018, has missed several deadlines.

A large part of the project has been completed, but the construction work on a 700m-long stretch is yet to start. (HT Archive)

The Barapullah Phase-2 is an extension of the existing elevated corridor, and will provide seamless connectivity between south and east Delhi. A large part of the project has been completed, but the construction work on a 700m-long stretch is yet to start due to delay in land acquisition.

Residents of Nangli Razapur, who have been identified by the government for compensation under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (RFCTLARR) Act, 2013, held a meeting with district administration last week to discuss the issue.

Bhopal Singh Chauhan, a farmer and village head, said, “In the meeting, we told the officials that we should be paid at least ₹3.15 crore per acre or what the government paid the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to get the land for the project. We don’t understand the reason for the delay.”

Last June, the Delhi government notified the draft Rehabilitation and Resettlement scheme identifying the beneficiaries. This is the first land acquisition to be processed in Delhi under RFCTLARR Act, 2013. The land parcels belong to residents of Nangli Razapur village, located near Sarai Kale Khan ISBT.

Rajbir Tanwar, a resident of the village said, “This matter has been pending for 6-7 years now. The villagers are ready to give their land for the development project, but the government is moving very slow and is yet to decide on the compensation amount. We have been asked to give our bank account details. But we will not do it till the government finalises the compensation amount.”

According to a senior Delhi government official had said in May end that the government has given notices to people informing them about their share in compensation based on the land parcels they have. “They have been given time till June 10 to approach the district authorities in case of any dispute with relevant papers. The process is going on as per the land acquisition Act of 2013. So far no decision has been taken on the compensation amount, but it will be decided as per the Act. We have to complete the acquisition process before August end this year,” the official said.

Currently, the Barapullah elevated corridor, known as the Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Setu, connects Sarai Kale Khan in south-east Delhi to AIIMS in south Delhi. The road corridor was developed for ferrying athletes during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The extension will provide signal-free road access between east Delhi and south Delh.

According to Delhi government’s Public Works Department officials, no new deadline has been set for the project as it depends on when they will get the land parcels. “The structural work of the project is almost complete barring the section where we are yet to get the land. We will need 18 months from the day land is handed over to us to complete the project. Laying of road and other work will be done simultaneously,” said the PWD official.

The Delhi government spokesperson didn’t comment on the matter.