Owners to get higher reward for land taken by Delhi Metro

A Delhi court has ordered the central government to pay Rs 4.50 crore each to four Delhi residents in lieu of their plot — acquired for construction of Barakhamba Road Metro station.

A Delhi court has ordered the central government to pay Rs 4.50 crore each to four Delhi residents in lieu of their plot — acquired for construction of Barakhamba Road Metro station.

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Additional district judge Nivedita Anil Sharma asked the centre to pay the compensation to the four at an enhanced
rate of Rs 81,429 per square metre, terming the government's earlier compensation at the rate of Rs 57,960 per sqm as "inadequate" and "unreasonable".

The court asked the centre to pay 30% solatium (compensation for loss and inconvenience) to petitioners Kamla Shokeen, Shashi Mahindra, Hemant Pal Singh Gill and Deepa Gupta.

The court noted that the apex court has also held that if a compensation amount is already fixed for a land, then the same amount of compensation has to be given to other land owners whose similarly placed and situated, adjacent plots, are acquired under the same notification.

The petitioners had their flats at Indraprakash Building on Barakhamba Road. The government had acquired their property to build the Metro station for Delhi Metro Rail Corporation through a notification in 2003.

The centre, DMRC and land development office, in their reply to the court, said the initial compensation awarded to the landowners was justified and reasonable.