Summary: A group of farmers from Latur, Maharashtra, are in a legal fight with the State over money for land taken to build a water tank. The court has decided to partly increase the payment, but the farmers want more.
In this case, we have Shriram Pandurang Dange and other farmers from Babhalgaon village, Latur, who are up against the State of Maharashtra. The State took their land to build a Percolation Tank, and the farmers aren't happy with the money they got.
The Special Land Acquisition Officer initially offered money between Rs. 1394/- and Rs. 2788/- per R. The farmers felt this was too low, especially since their land is near important places and has potential for development.
"The acquired lands were next to the Latur-Nilanga State Highway and surrounded by developed infrastructure."
The Reference Court agreed to increase the payment to Rs. 125/- per square foot. But the farmers wanted Rs. 250/- per square foot, saying other land sales in the area were for similar amounts.
The State argued that even the Rs. 125/- rate was too high and needed to be reduced. They believed the court's previous decisions on similar cases shouldn't apply here.
After listening to both sides, Judges Nitin B. Suryawanshi and Sandipkumar C. More decided that the payment should be Rs. 165/- per square foot, not as high as the farmers wanted but better than the first offer.
"We find it right to give more money to all these claimants/appellants for their land at the rate of Rs.165/- per sq.ft."
The court also ordered the State to pay extra benefits like additional money for inconvenience and interest from the date of the award. The farmers have to pay any outstanding court fees, and the State's request to lower the payment was dismissed.
The farmers still want more money for their land, but for now, they'll get a bit more than what was first offered. This case shows the ongoing struggle between development needs and fair payment for landowners.
