Odisha to return land acquired for Vedanta University to landowners: Minister
Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said that the modalities for return of the acquired land will be finalised in a day or two
The Odisha government on Wednesday announced that nearly 3,500 acres private land acquired for the proposed university of Vedanta Limited in Puri district would be returned to their respective owners.
Last year, a two-judge bench of Supreme Court had upheld the 2010 order of the Orissa high court, which ruled that acquisition of land for the university was illegal as the Anil Agarwal Foundation that proposed to set the university was a private company and not a public company in terms of provisions of the Companies Act, 1956.
Odisha revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said that the modalities for return of the acquired land will be finalised in a day or two.
Stating that Vedanta had changed the name of the institution three times, he said necessary formalities will be carried out for transfer of land accordingly. While the name was Sterlite Foundation initially, it was changed to Vedanta Foundation and then Anil Agarwal Foundation.
Pujari added the 509 acres of government land leased out to the Anil Agarwal Foundation will be taken back as well. In the case of privately-owned land, the owners who have been compensated will return the compensation. Subsequently, the land will be returned to such owners. The Revenue department will make corrections to the records accordingly.
The previous Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government led by chief minister Naveen Patnaik had started land acquisition proceedings for the university between December 13, 2006 and August 21, 2007.
The multi-disciplinary university was supposed to have a proposed intake of 100,000 students. Accordingly, the state government decided to acquire nearly 3,500 acres of agricultural and homestead land in 22 villages.
However, seven of the families that were to be displaced by the project moved the Orissa high court. The court held that the acquisition of land in favour of the Foundation is not permissible section 40 (1) (a) of the Land Acquisition Act and asked the company to return the land to the landowners.
The Anil Agarwal Foundation and the Odisha government then moved the Supreme Court against the order of the high court. However, the SC in April last year upheld the HC order asking why the government offered such an undue favour to one trust/company.
“The entire acquisition proceedings and the benefits, which were proposed by the state government were vitiated by favouritism and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution of India. The manner in which the state government dealt with and acquired agricultural lands belonging to 6,000 families and as it in fact favoured the private limited company, which was subsequently alleged to have been converted to a public company and that too without holding any proper inquiry to the need,” the SC had said.
Responding to the minister’s announcement on Monday, Umaballabh Rath, president of Vedanta Bisthapita Sangharsh Samiti, a body of villagers fighting against the project, said the villagers would request the government to waive off the amount. “The villagers were paid ₹2 lakh an acre and they have spent the money. They have suffered enough in the last 14 years. I hope the government would return the land to the landowners without any pre-condition,” said Rath.
A villager, whose land was acquired for the project, said the SC in its order in 2023, did not speak about farmers returning any compensation money. “We have incurred enough in fighting the company in High Court and Supreme Court. The govt should consider our plight and waive off any conditions for returning the land,” said the villager.