Owners who agreed to sell land for Gurugram Metro seek govt jobs, plots

Around 15 representations have been submitted to the land purchase committee headed by the Gurugram deputy commissioner.

Land owners whose properties are being purchased for construction of the Gurugram metro in the revenue estates of Kanhai, Islampur and Basai villages have sought alternative plots, higher compensation and jobs for family members in return for giving up their land.

Officials said most owners are willing to sell but have attached conditions before consenting to transfer their properties. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

An official of the land acquisition office, Gurugram, said all representations received from land owners are being documented and will be placed before the next meeting of the land purchase committee headed by the deputy commissioner, Gurugram.

According to submissions made to the land acquisition office, one land owner from Islampur said the land required for the metro project falls in Sector 33 and that there was no objection to selling it if an alternative plot on a main road is allotted or compensation is paid at prevailing market rates. “If the authority wants to pay compensation, then the rate should be ₹2.5 to ₹3 lakh per sq yard,” the owner stated in a letter.

Another land-owning family from Basai sought rectification of land records, allotment of alternative plots, rehabilitation and employment for affected family members. “There is a need to rehabilitate the landowners and provide jobs to family members whose land has been acquired for the metro project,” the family said in a written submission dated May 27.

A senior land acquisition official familiar with the process said most land owners were not opposed to selling their land but wanted either alternative plots or compensation at market rates. “The land owners have also asked for jobs in the metro project and rehabilitation of families. We will document all these objections and suggestions and put these up in the next meeting of the land acquisition committee formed for the purchase of land. The deputy commissioner heads the committee, and the next course of action will be taken as per the directions of the committee,” he said.

The official added that tentative compensation rates have been worked out at around ₹13 crore per acre in Kanhai, ₹26 crore per acre in Islampur and ₹23 crore per acre in Basai.

According to an official of the land acquisition office, around 15 representations have been received from land owners regarding the proposed acquisition. While most land owners have agreed in principle to sell their land for the metro project, they have attached certain conditions, including demands for alternative plots, higher compensation, rehabilitation measures and employment opportunities for family members.

A senior GMRL official said land transfer needs to be expedited as work on the project has already begun. “There is an urgent need to transfer land and the carriageway so that work can be started at the earliest,” he said, adding that around 8% of work has been completed.

GMRL is seeking to purchase about 10,000 square metres of private land for the first phase of the Millennium City Centre-to-Cyber City metro corridor. The largest acquisition, 8,653.63 sq m, is in Islampur village under Badshahpur sub-tehsil. The committee has also identified 534 sq m in Kanhai village near Fortis Hospital in Sector 44 and 1,695.74 sq m in Basai village in Sector 9. The land will be used for metro stations and track construction.

The Haryana government on January 8 notified a land purchase policy allowing GMRL to directly purchase private land through negotiations and mutual consent via a land purchase committee headed by the deputy commissioner.