Mangalore, Jan 25: After a boycott, calls of protest and a thinned turnout, talks with villagers who will lose their land to the proposed HPCL Mangalore-Bangalore LPG pipeline project bore little progress in Mangalore on Saturday.
However, after hearing complaints, the district administration said they would, if land was consented for the project, change the tag in the land records that would allow for easier transaction of the property under which the pipeline passes.
Much of the opposition aired during the meeting chaired by Deputy Commissioner, A B Ibrahim, focused on safety issues, terms of using the restored land, and compensation. With an acquisition of additional 6m (for movement of heavy vehicles), the proposed pipeline will run parallel to the corridor demarcated by the HPCL, Petronet Petrol pipeline laid in the year 2001.
A repeated complaint aired was that after the land is restored and returned to the farmer, the RTC (Rights, Tenancy and Crops) document will record that the “rights are reserved” to HPCL. “This makes the land worthless. Our valuation will go down, and no one will be interested in buying the land,” said K S Ballal, from Peranki village, Belthangady taluk.
A B Ibrahim said the wordings would be changed, instead a “pipeline passes through this” will be recorded so that future landowners will be aware of the project.
Higher compensation
As the land is “temporarily acquired” under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipeline (Right of User in Land) Act, 1962 which returns the land after the laying of the underground pipe, the affected persons are given just 10 per cent of the guidance value.
A few villagers expressed willingness towards the project if the compensation was increased.
“We can't cultivate on it, we can't build on it. But, if everyone is giving then we will have to too. But, we want the compensation to increase,” said Dayanand from Kallia village, Belthangady taluk.
Chandrashekhar Rao, whose three cents of land at Malavoor will be acquired, pointed to leakages in the petrol pipeline, which was laid there by HPCL-Petronet in 2001, which was contaminating the wells nearby.
While, the Deputy Commissioner ordered for a probe into the leakage, AB Ibrahim directed officials to present a file within a week to the affected persons that lists out exact extent of land that will be acquired with a sketch, the safety aspects of the project, crops that can be cultivated on this land, and other terms that may interfere with vehicle movement.
Those who will lose their land in Belthangady can attend another round of talks in Belthangady taluk office on January 29 starting 10 a.m., while the meeting for those in Mangalore taluk has been scheduled for January 30 at the taluk panchayat hall, Mangalore.
Troublesome start to meeting
The meeting with persons who will be affected by the HPCL Mangalore-Bangalore pipeline started off on Saturday with nearly 30 persons leaving the venue, protesting against the delayed start.
Though the meeting was scheduled at 11 a.m., Deputy Commissioner AB Ibrahim arrived at the venue at 11.40 a.m. By this time, numerous persons, who admitted that they arrived at the venue to express dissent, had left the meeting hall.
“We do not want negotiation. We are not going to give up our land,” said farmer Krishna Prasad, while others rallied behind him saying that the district administration should visit their fields instead of them having to visit offices recently.
A B Ibrahim said the meeting was scheduled for 11.30 a.m., and pulled up Special Land Acquisition officer, Krishna Murthy for the confusion.
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