Dharmapuri temple development project ‘land losers’ seek fair compensation

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The Dharmapuri Temple Development Land Losers Association has flagged serious concerns over what it termed as ‘forcible and unjust land acquisition’ by the State government for the proposed Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple development project in Dharmapuri of Jagtial district.

In a statement, the Association member Ranga Ashok said that the State government issued a notification in 2022 for acquisition of 17 properties and several acres of land along the Godavari river without preparing or publishing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) or conducting a Social Impact Assessment.

Despite repeated requests, officials have not shared the details of the DPR or the Social Impact Study. We have been kept completely in the dark, he rued, calling the whole exercise as an arbitrary move.

The persons at the helm in the current Congress dispensation had earlier assured that no forcible acquisition would take place without consultations, pointed out another member of the Association.

He alleged that the officials concerned finalised compensation awards without consulting the property owners and based them on government land values significantly lower than prevailing market rates in a unilateral manner.

Alleging discrepancies in valuation of properties, he said “The government froze property registrations in 2021 and is now calculating compensation based on a registration value of ₹2,100 per square yard. Even after tripling it, the amount remains unfair.”

“We request Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to intervene in the matter and ensure fair compensation,” the representative of the Association said in a statement issued here on Sunday (June 7).