Delhi Govt begins process to acquire 5,000 sq ft land in Mehrauli

The Delhi Government has initiated the next step towards acquiring around 5,000 sq ft of land in Mehrauli being used as a Public Works Department (PWD) road/right of way, nearly three months after the Delhi High Court directed the authorities to complete the acquisition process within a stipulated timeframe.

The Office of the Additional District Magistrate (South) has invited quotations from institutions empanelled as social impact assessment (SIA) units to undertake the statutory SIA for acquisition of the land under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The notice is dated October 13.

The land comprises Khasra No. 2,532/1,172/1 (old), 436 (new) in the revenue estate of Mehrauli village and measures approximately 5,000 sq ft, according to the notice. The acquisition proposal relates to a case before the High Court involving Sukhbir Singh and others versus the Union of India and others.

The move follows a July 29 order of the Delhi High Court in the matter. The court recorded that demarcation of the subject land had been carried out and that the land covered by Khasra Nos. 2,532/1,172 (old)/436 (new) and 2,532/2 (old)/437 (new) was being used as a PWD road/right of way. The court also noted that the site was fully developed and no fresh encroachment or unauthorised construction had been found during inspection.

The court was informed that the PWD had initiated the acquisition process and had forwarded a requisition to the Land and Building Department on July 17. The Land Acquisition Collector submitted that the requisite steps for processing and approval of the requisition would be completed within six weeks, after which acquisition proceedings would be undertaken under the 2013 land acquisition law. The court disposed of the writ petition and pending applications after recording these steps.

The Land and Building Department subsequently forwarded the PWD proposal to the District Magistrate (South) for initiating acquisition proceedings for the approximately 5,000 sq ft parcel. The department marked the matter as "most urgent" and asked the Land Acquisition Collector to ensure that the land was not already acquired and that no litigation was pending over the relevant khasra numbers.

The SIA agency selected through the current quotation process will have to assess, among other things, the purpose of the proposed acquisition, affected families, public purpose, alternative sites and the social costs and benefits of the project. The notice provides for completion of the SIA within six months of commencement and requires the report to be made available to the public in the prescribed manner.