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PETITIONER: BANWASI SEVA ASHRAM

       Vs.

RESPONDENT: STATE OF U.P. AND ORS.

DATE OF JUDGMENT19/02/1992

BENCH: KULDIP SINGH (J) BENCH: KULDIP SINGH (J) SAWANT, P.B. KASLIWAL, N.M. (J)

CITATION:  1992 AIR  920            1992 SCR  (1) 857  1992 SCC  (2) 202        JT 1992 (2)   421  1992 SCALE  (1)407

ACT:     Public Interest Litigation:     National Thermal Power Corporation:     Rihand  Super-Thermal Power Project-Rehabilitation of evictees-Directions issued.

HEADNOTE:     This  Court,  by  its  order  dated  20.11.1986,   while disposing  of  Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 1061 of  1982,  gave comprehensive     directions    for    rehabilitation     of Adivasis/landholders  affected by the  Rihand  Super-Thermal Power  Project  to be set up by the National  Thermal  Power Corporation  Limited  (NTPC),  and  appointed  a  Board   of Commissioners  to supervise the implementation of  the  said directions.  Since  then  this  Court  was  monitoring   the project.     Disposing of the proceedings and the  monitoring-process so far as the NTPC was concerned, this Court,     HELD: In order to ensure that the rights of the  oustees are  determined  in their respective holdings and  they  are properly and adequately compensated, the NTPC shall take, in collaboration  with  the  State  Government,  the  following measures  to  rehabilitate the evictees who were  in  actual physical possession of the lands/houses etc. :-     (i)  The  NTPC   shall submit a list  of  the  evictees- claimants to the District Judge, Sonebhadra who shall be the final authority to finalise the list.     (ii) One plot of land measuring 60’ x 40’ to each of the evictee-families be distributed for housing purposes through the district administration.     (iii)  Shifting allowance of Rs. 1500 and in addition  a lumpsum rent of Rs. 3000 towards housing be given to each of the evictee-families.                                                        858     (iv) Free transportation shall be provided for shifting.     (v) Monthly subsistence allowance equivalent to loss  of net  income from the acquired land to be determined  by  the District  Judge Sonebhadra subject to a maximum  of Rs.  750 for  a  period of 10 years. The said payment  shall  not  be linked with employment or any other compensation.

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   (vi)  Unskilled  and semi-skilled posts in  the  project shall be reserved for the evictees.     (vii) The NTPC  shall give preference to the oustees  in employment   in   class   III  and  IV   posts   under   its establishment.     (viii)  The evictees be offered employment  through  the contractors employed by the NTPC.     (ix) Jobs of contractors under the administration of the NTPC be offered to the evictees.     (x)  The  shops and other business premises  within  the NTPC campus be offered to the evictees.     (xi)  The  NTPC  shall operate for the  benefit  of  the evictees   selfgenerating   employment   schemes   such   as carpentry   training  (free  tools  to  be  provided   after completion    of   training)   carpet   weaving    training, sericulture,  masonary  training,  dairy  farming,   poultry farming and basket weaving training etc.     (xii)   The  NTPC  shall  provide  facilities   in   the rehabilitative  area  such as pucca  roads,  pucca  drainage system,  handpumps,  wells, portable water  supply,  primary school,  adult education classes, health  centre,  Panchayat Bhavan,  sports centres, electricity connections,  bank  and sulabh Sauchalaya complex etc.     The  Deputy Commissioner Sonebhadra shall supervise  and ensure  that the rehabilitation measures are fully  complied with.     (xiii)  As regards compensation for crops and land,  the provisional compensation at the rate of Rs. 850 per acre per year for crops and Rs. 10,000 per acre for the land be  paid to the oustees.                                  [pp.861B-H; 862A-H; 863A-B]                                                        859     The District Judge Sonebhadra shall be the authority  to determine  the  compensation.  The  orders  passed  by   the District  Judge  shall be treated as orders under s.  17  of the  Indian Forest Act, as amended by U.P. Act 25  of  1965. [p.863B,F]

JUDGMENT:     ORIGINAL JURISDICTION: Writ Petition (Crl.) No. 1061  of 1982.     (Under Article 37 of Constitution of India)     Prem   Bhai  and  Prem  Singh,  Commnr.  Supreme  Court, Justice  B.L. Loombha, Chairman, Legal Aid, Advisory  Board, U.P.,  M.K.  Ramamurthi,  B. Datta,  Yogeshwar  Prasad,  Ms. Chandan  Ramamurthi, M.A. Krishnamoorthy, Ms. Rachna  Joshi, D.D.  Sharma,  A.S. Pundir, R.P.  Srivastava,  S.N.  Terdol, Hemant Sharma, Ms. Anil Katiyar, C.V.S. Rao and  Ms.Sangeeta Aggarwal for the appearing parties.     The following Order of the Court was delivered:     On  the  basis of a letter received  from  Banwasi  Seva Ashram operating in Mirzapur District of Uttar Pradesh  Writ Petition  (Criminal)  No. 1061/82 under Article  32  of  the Constitution of India was registered. Meanwhile the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) decided to set up a super-thermal plant on part of the lands which were  subject matter of the writ petition. NTPC got itself impleaded as  a party  in the writ petition and claimed that the  completion of  the project was a time bound-programme and as  such  the land   earmarked  for  the  project   be  made   free   from prohibitive  directions of this Court in the writ  petition. The writ petition was disposed of by an order dated November 20,  1986. This Court issued comprehensive   directions  and

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appointed  a  Board   of  Commissioners  to  supervise   the implementation  of the said directions. This Court has  been monitoring  the project during all these years in  terms  of the directions issued on November 20, 1986.     By   this  order  we  are  finally  disposing   of   the proceedings   and the monitoring-process so far as the  NTPC is  concerned.  The  directions  dated  November  20,   1986 relevant for this purpose are as under:-          "(1)  So far as the lands which have  already  been          declared as reserved forest under Section 20 of the          Act,  the  same  would not form part  of  the  Writ          Petition  and  any  direction made  by  this  Court          earlier,  now or in future in this case  would  not          relate                                                        860          to  the  same. In regard to the lands  declared  as          reserved  forest,  it  is,  however,  open  to  the          claimants to establish their rights, if any, in any          other appropriate proceeding. We express no opinion          about the maintainability of such claim."          "(5) The land sought to the acquired for the Rihand          Super-Thermal  Power Project of the NTPC  shall  be          freed  from the ban of dispossession. Such land  is          said  to be about 153 acres for Ash Pipe  Line  and          1643   acres  for Ash Dyke and are located  in  the          villages of Khamariya, Parbatwa, Jheelotola, Dodhar          and  Jarha. Possession thereof may be  taken,.....,          but such possession should be taken in the presence          of one of the commissioners who are being appointed          by  this order and a detailed record of the  nature          and extent of the land, the name of the person  who          is  being dispossessed and the nature of  enjoyment          of  the  land and all  other  relevant  particulars          should be kept for appropriate  use in future. Such          records shall be duly certified by the Commissioner          in whose presence possession is taken and the  same          should be available for use in all proceedings that          may be taken subsequently.          The NTPC has agreed before the Court that it  shall          strictly  follow  the policy on "facilities  to  be          given  to land oustees" as placed before the  Court          in  the  matter  of lands which  are  subjected  to          acquisition  for  its purpose. The  same  shall  be          taken as an undertaking to the Court."     Mr. Datta learned senior advocate appearing for the NTPC has  stated that the NTPC has already taken  actual/symbolic possession  of 1375 acres of land. In respect of 1004  acres of  the  said  land a notification under Section  4  of  the Indian Forest Act, 1927 (hereinafter called  ‘the Act’)  was issued  and the proceedings for declaring the said  area  as reserved  forest  were undertaken. The remaining  371  acres were part of Gaon Sabha land and ownership in the said  land vested in the State Government. According to Mr. Datta  this land  measuring 1375 acres is under the possession  of  NTPC and the project-construction is in progress. Mr. Ramamurthy, on the other hand, has contended that the actual  possession of  whole  of  the  area  is  not  with  the  NTPC  and  the Adivasi/land  owners  are  still  in  possession  of   their respective holdings.                                                        861     Mr.  Datta  further states that apart from  1375  acres, mentioned  above, the NTPC has yet to obtain  possession  of 465 acres of land which is reserved forest under Section  20 of the Act. In view of the directions quoted above the lands which  have been declared as reserved forest under  the  Act

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are not the subject matter of the writ petition and as  such no direction can be issued by this Court in that respect. In this  order, we are concerned with 1004 acres of land  which is  subject-matter of Section 4 Notification under the  Act. We  have  to  ensure  that the rights  of  the  oustees  are determined  in  their  respective  holdings  and  they   are properly rehabilitated and adequately compensated.     According to the summary of rehabilitation-package filed on the record by Mr. Datta there are 678 families which have been  ousted from the land. Mr. Ramamurthy,  however  states that  there are more than 1500 families which are likely  to be  affected by the take-over of 1004 acres of land  by  the NTPC.     We  direct that the following measures  to  rehabilitate the  evictees who were in actual physical possession of  the lands/houses etc. be taken by the NTPC in collaboration with the State Government.     1.  The  NTPC  shall  submit a  list  of  the  evictees- claimants  to  the District Judge, Sonebharda  before  April 15,  1992. Mr. Prem Singh shall also submit the list of  the evictees  to  the  District Judge by April  15,   1992.  The District Judge Sonebhadra shall be the authority to finalise the list of the evictees.     2. One plot of land measuring 60’ x 40’’ to each of  the evictee-families be distributed for housing purposes through the district administration. Mr. Datta has informed us  that the  plots of the said measurements have already been  given to  641 families. We direct that the remaining  evictees  be also given the plots.     3.  Shifting  allowance of Rs. 1500 and  in  addition  a lumpsum rent of Rs. 3000 towards housing be given to each of the evictee-families.     4. Free transportation shall be provided for shifting.     5.  Monthly subsistence allowance equivalent to loss  of net  income from the acquired land to be determined  by  the District  Judge Sonebhadra subject to a maximum of  Rs.  750 for a period of 10 years. The said                                                        862 payment  shall  not be linked with employment or  any  other compensation.     6. Unskilled and semi-skilled posts in the project shall be  reserved  for the evictees subject to their  eligibility and suitability.     7.The  NTPC  shall  give preference to  the  oustees  in employment   in   class   III  and  IV   posts   under   its administration subject to their suitability and eligibility.     8.  The  evictees  be  offered  employment  through  the contractors employed by the NTPC.     9.  The jobs of contractors under the administration  of the NTPC be offered to the evictees.     10.  The  shops and other business premises  within  the NTPC campus be offered to the evictees.     11.  The  NTPC  shall operate for  the  benefit  of  the evictees   selfgenerating   employment   schemes   such   as carpentary  training  (free  tools  to  be  provided   after completion   of   training),   carpet   weaving    training, sericulture,  masonary  training,  dairy  farming,   poultry farming and basket weaving training etc.     12.   The   NTPC  shall  provide   facilities   in   the rehabilitative-area  such  as pucca  roads,  pucca  drainage system,  hand pumps, wells, portable water  supply,  primary school,   health  centre,  Panchayat   Bhavan,   electricity connections, bank and Sulabh Sauchalaya complex etc.     13.  The  NTPC shall also  provide  hospitals,  schools, adult education classes and sports centres for the evictees.

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   The  Deputy Commissioner Sonebhadra shall supervise  and ensure that the above rehabilitation measures directed by us are fully complied with by the NTPC and other authorities.     As regards compensation in respect of lands, crops  etc. Mr. Datta states that crop compensation at Rs. 850 per  acre per year has been paid to the oustees. He states that a  sum of  Rs. 16,44,529.68 paise has been paid to the  oustees  in this  respect.  He further states that Rs. 1 crore  and  Rs. 507500  have  further been deposited by the  NTPC  with  the State                                                        863 Government   on  March  13,  1991  and  January   20,   1992 respectively.  According to him out of the said amount,  Rs. 48,35,649.17  paise have so far been paid to the oustees  as land-compensation at the rate of Rs. 10,000 per acre. It  is not  disputed that Rs. 850 per acre per year for  the  crops and Rs. 10,000 per acre for the land has been determined  as provisional  compensation.  We direct that  the  provisional compensation  at the above rates be paid to the oustees,  if not already paid, within 8 weeks from today. In this respect we further issue the following directions:     (a) The District Judge, Sonebhadra shall be authority to determine  the compensation in respect of land, crop,  house and  any other legitimate claim based on existing-rights  of the oustees.     (b) Mr. Prem Singh, Commissioner along with the  Project Officer  of  the  NTPC and Sarpanch of  the  area  concerned shall  verify the extent of the property of the oustees  who have  been  or  are likely to be  evicted  from  the  actual physical  possession  of the lands/houses etc. It  has  been stated before us that such verification can be done within a period  of  two months. We direct that the  verification  be completed  before April 15, 1992. The rights  determined  by Mr.  Prem  Singh  and party shall be subject  to  the  final approval of District Judge, Sonebhadra.     (c)  The District Judge, Sonebhadra shall issue  notices to all the claimants before May 15, 1992 asking them to file their respective claims for compensation. The evictees,  may also  on their own, whether they have  received  provisional compensation or not prefer their claims for compensation  to the District Judge Sonebhadra before August 1, 1992.     (d)  The District Judge Sonebhadra shall finally  decide all the compensation claims expeditiously preferably  before March  31, 1993. The orders passed by the District Judge  in each case shall be treated as the orders under Section 17 of the Act as amended by the Uttar Pradesh Act 25 of 1965.     (e)  Any  party,  not satisfied with the  order  of  the District  Judge, may have recourse to any  remedy  available under law.     With   the  above  directions  we  finally   close   the proceedings  in  respect of the lands in possession  of  the NTPC. R.P.                                   Petition disposed of.                                                        864