Vadodara: Rs. 3,293 crore compensation for land acquisition in transportation megaprojects 

Five megaprojects of transportation, passing through the Vadodara city, have paid a heavy compensation price of ₹ 3,293 crores to landowners. Land acquired for Bullet Train, Expressway, Freight Corridor, and covering the cost of crops grown, to farmers on the recommendation of the Department of Agriculture.

The Vadodara District Administration is working on acquiring land for several ambitious projects, which are nearing completion. Compensation for land acquired by the district administration, to date, amounts to around ₹ 3,293 crores, given to account holders.

The National High-Speed Rail, also known as the Bullet Train, the Delhi-Vadodara Express Highway, the Vadodara-Mumbai-Vadodara Express Highway, and a dedicated Railway Freight Corridor all benefit the Vadodara district. The district administration is in charge of the necessary land acquisition for this project.

• A total of 105 hectares of land from 35 villages, acquired for the National High-Speed Rail Corridor. A total of 102 hectares of land have been bought, with Railways now in possession. The administration gave the landowners ₹ 815.03 each. 
• Similarly, from Delhi to Vadodara Expressway no. 148 (N), 232-hectare square meter land has been acquired from 16 villages of the district, and ₹ 281.20 crores have been paid as compensation. 
• For the expressway from Vadodara to Mumbai, 598-hectare square meters of land in 29 village land acquired, and ₹ 1,568.08 crores are paid as land compensation.

The dedicated freight corridor of the railway is also to pass through the Vadodara district, and for this, the land acquisition work required by the Railways is underway. For the same project, more than one hectare of land has to be acquired for the railway overbridge, at Maneja in Vadodara. 85% of the land was acquired and for that ₹ 14.33 crore has been paid.

Compensation has been paid, to cover the losses by determining the market price; based on the sale of land in the area, the previous three years, and the jantri of the area. 

It’s worth noting that the payout includes crops cultivated on farmers’ land and paid based on the Agriculture Department’s and Horticulture Department’s recommendations for crop calculation.

Few land ownership conflicts remained unresolved, with future payments contingent on a judicial decision. The land, obtained by the district administration, is a result of the successful resolution of inheritance and legal concerns.

Written by:
Shristi Chatterjee