High Court fixes Rs 40,000 as compensation for crops damaged in Neyveli
The Madras High Court has fixed Rs 40,000 as compensation per acre for the standing crops damaged in the NLCIL (Neyveli Lignite Corporation India Limited) expansion process at Neyveli and the court also directed the NLCIL to pay the compensation within August 7, 2023.
Justice S M Subramaniam observed that “the farmers’ sentiments should be respected in our country” while pronouncing the interim order on Wednesday.
All of a sudden the crops which were cultivated by the farmers are damaged, to honour the sentiment of the farmers who raised the crops the compensation should be settled, the judge told NLCIL. However, after the lands are acquired by the NLCIL the farmers are not entitled to enter into the land, in this present case farmers continued the cultivation for 16 years after the sale of the land, it would be considered trespassing, the judge said quoting an order of Supreme Court.
On the other hand, the NLCIL also failed to protect the land, if they did so this situation would not have arisen, observed the judge.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) ARL Sundaresan for the NLCIL said that the eviction is not a sudden process, the NLCIL has already convened a meeting with farmers and said that after the Pongal harvest (January) no cultivation should be continued in the land, which they accepted.
Further, the ASG said that the NLCIL has already deposited the compensation money into the account, and we are ready to give the compensation at any time.