Allahabad high court gives go ahead for Jewar airport
The estimated budget for the Jewar airport project is between ₹15,000 crore and ₹20,000 crore. The project is expected to be operational by 2022-2023. The entire project needs around 5,000 hectares.
The Allahabad high court Monday dismissed petitions filed by eight farmers, seeking to quash the notification issued for acquiring land in Jewar for the Noida international airport, on the grounds that the administration had violated several laid down norms.
With this, the work on the Noida international greenfield airport in Jewar, along the 165km Yamuna Expressway, can now start once the general elections are over, officials said.
The Uttar Pradesh government had, on October 30, 2018, notified acquisition of 1,239.14 hectares for the development of the airport under the Section 11 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Later, the administration also started seeking objections from land owners under Section 19 of the Act.
On February 23, 2019, eight farmers — Yogesh Kumar, Mukesh Kumar, Dev Dutt, Chander Pal and Kunwarpal Singh, among others from Kishorpur village— had filed a plea in the Allahabad high court to strike down the notification.
Petitioners were seeking land rates four times the prevailing circle rates (a land rate fixed by the government for all land parcels) against the government’s offer of ?2,300 to ?2,500 per square metre of agricultural land. Farmers demanded ₹3600 per square metre through their petition.
“The high court has dismissed their petitions, thereby clearing all hurdles in the way of the airport project. I think, as per law, the administration now will seek permission from Election Commission of India to start distribution of land compensation to farmers after April 11, the polling day in Gautam Budh Nagar,” Thakur Dhirendra Singh, Jewar MLA, said.
The administration is likely to start the distribution of compensation to residents of Ranhera, Parohi villages, Dayanatpur, Banwaribans, Kishorpur, Rohi and Kureb after the model code of conduct is lifted. Around 1,239 hectares are to be acquired from these seven villages for the project in the first phase.
The estimated budget for the Jewar airport project is between ₹15,000 crore and ₹20,000 crore. The project is expected to be operational by 2022-2023. The entire project needs around 5,000 hectares.