HC allows UKP land losers to file objections

The Dharwad bench of the High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday gave one week’s time for land owners to file objections to the land acquisition notification issued to provide rehabilitation to those displaced by the Upper Krishna project (UKP) in Bagalkot district.

The court has directed the land acquisition officer to dispose of the objections within a month. The single judge bench of Justice Venugopalgowda has disposed of the petition.

Ravi Kamatagi and 41 other farmers had filed a writ petition in the High Court, questioning the notification to acquire land for the third phase of the rehabilitation project. The government had issued a preliminary notification on November 22, 2013, for the land acquisition. It did not allow filing of objections on the grounds of emergency. It issued the final notification on November 30.

The petitioners said that 4,544 acres had been acquired for the project, but only 1,333 are proposed to be used for the second phase. This being the case, it is not prudent to acquire land for the third phase on emergency basis, they said.