Kannur airport deal: Land owners seek compensation

KANNUR: Though it was agreed in September 2012 that 783 acres would be acquired for the third phase of land acquisition for Kannur airport, the land owners who signed the agreement are yet to get their compensation.
"It was with great difficulty that we convinced the people to give their land, even though the money offered by the government was much less than what they demanded.But even after nine months, nothing has moved and there is no idea when the property would be registered and the money would be given," said V R Bhaskaran, the convenor of the action committee formed by the land owners, who would lose their land for the proposed airport.
If the compensation was given in time, it would have benefitted the people but now many of them are in a quandary as they are unable to plan their future.
While Kinfra had signed purchase deal with most of the land owners, some land was acquired as there was no proper land deed.
Though they have given a bank guarantee in the court for the acquired land, which would be disbursed after the land owners produced their land deeds, those who agreed to sell their property for the airport development have no idea when they will get the payment. Moreover, the government has not announced any rebate on the stamp duty for the land registration or tax rebate on the compensation amount, which has further panicked the people.
In the second phase, the process was fast but this time the government is going slow, they complained. Since the land acquired in the third phase is for allied works, Kinfra seems to be going slow in payment because they have no idea about the allied projects and hence will not get any returns till the land is given to the parties concerned for the allied projects, said an action committee member whose land has been acquired.
"There are people who gave advance for land in other places and also fixed the weddings of their children in the hope that they would get the compensation in time but all their plans have gone for a toss because of this uncertainty about the compensation," said another action committee member who did not want to be named as he is a government servant.
"It was because of the faith in us that they agreed for the deal without much opposition but now we feel bad that we could not do anything for them, and even our people's representatives have failed to rise up to the occasion in realizing the compensation," he said.
Similarly, the rehabilitation package for the people whose land has been taken for the project is also not ready. Though some plots are ready, people are unable to use it because there is no connectivity to the place, as the proposed road has to be developed in the land taken over in third phase.
"If the government continues to go slow in releasing the compensation, we will be compelled to launch an agitation, because this is the question of our survival," said Bhaskaran.
"When the people sacrifice their properties for a common good, the authorities should have the sensibility to understand it and make sure that their future is not affected."