Hundreds of residents of Markandeswar Sahi ward Number 1 and loknath road of Mangalaghat area under the municipal ward Number 5 are up against the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) which is acquiring household land for laying of Malatipatpur —Sipasarubali road.
The residents pointed out that while vast tracts of Government land were available adjacent to their proposed road plan, it was surprising why the authorities want to take the road straight on the residential holdings displacing hundreds of permanent residents. They said while there was no problem to get the Government land, the NH authorities were bent on acquiring the private land and bear over Rs100 crore as compensation to the residents.
This remains a mystery why the freely available Government land was not used to minimise the cost of laying the road project, the residents wondered.
They said the matter was taken up with the sub-collector who appreciated the point of the residents and assured to make a field inspection but later did nothing. They said it was a conspiracy between some unscrupulous officials and a land mafia who has designs to make profit by selling his land after development of the road and encroach upon the vacant Government land.
Citing a Supreme Court's directive on land acquisition, they said when plenty of unused Government land was available to lay road why the officials were insisting to displace the villagers.When the NH road could be diverted to save Brajgopika ashram why this time it could not be done for the larger interest of the residents, they asked.The residents also filed complaints with the Revenue Divisional Commissioner, but in vain. They urged the Chief Minister to intervene in the issue and save their houses and property at the earliest.