Golf Course road waterlogging: Chakkarpur villagers say no to GMDA price for Sector 28 land

Plot holders at Chakkarpur in Sector 28, on Golf Course Road, have refused to accept the Haryana government’s offer of Rs 1.5 crore for a parcel of land that the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) needs to acquire for constructing stormwater drains in the area.

The GMDA is on the lookout for land for the building the stormwater drain, extending from Chakkarpur to Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), near Sector 57, to enable discharge of rainwater that floods the area in the event of showers.

The rain on Tuesday resulted in extensive waterlogging in the area, confining residents to their homes and posing a raft of problems for commuters. Officials said that the drain could be the key to limiting the extent of waterlogging on Golf Course Road and areas around it.

However, the landowners have sought a better deal claiming that the prevailing market rate of the land in question is much higher than what the GMDA has estimated. They said they also want the GMDA to provide alternative plots to them, as per its compensation policy.

Jagmohan, one of the landowners, said, “The average price of land in the area is Rs 55,000 to Rs 60,000 per square yard. However, the prevailing market of the land isn’t acceptable to the GMDA and the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). In lieu of 1,750 square yards that the government needs to acquire for building the stormwater drain, it should allot us roughly 800 square yards in an adjoining developed sector. We have already made our demands crystal clear.”

Officials of the GMDA and the HSVP held a meeting with the landowners a week ago and the GMDA later sent a proposal, pegging the acquisition cost at Rs 1.5 crore, to the state government for approval. Although the approval is pending, the landowners have already made their mind to reject the proposal should the government clear it.

“Under no circumstances, will we accept Rs 1.5 crore as the acquisition cost, as it is too less. However, we have already made it clear to the authorities that more than the money, we need alternative plots. If the government fails to allot alternative plots and forces us to agree to its proposal, we will move court again,” Navin Yadav, another landowner, said.

He added they had moved the Punjab and Haryana high court against the HSVP, then the Haryana urban development authority (Huda), challenging the land acquisition notice issued by the latter. The court ruled that their plots cannot be acquired, he said.

Sectors 27, 28, 43, 56, 57 and other adjoining localities are prone to waterlogging due to improper drainage and the stormwater drain is seen as a long-term solution to this problem.

Chander Shekhar Khare, administrator, HSVP, said, “The policy that the landowners have cited doesn’t apply here. GMDA officials are trying to settle the matter.”