Acquired lands won’t be denotified

Bangalore: In a move that will put an end to the increasing requests from landowners whose lands have been acquired by the government, the law department has directed all other departments not to entertain requests for denotifying lands already acquired for developmental projects.

A circular, signed by law secretary D’Souza Robinson, has been sent to the heads of other departments on Monday. “Denotifying lands, which have already been subjected to acquisition proceedings under sections 15 (A) and 48(1) of the Land Acquisition Act and taken possession of by the acquiring agency, is illegal”, the circular read.

In fact, such requests had touched its peak in the backdrop of land being acquired for the Bangalore – Mysore Infrastructure Corridor Project and for the formation of Arkavathy Layout in Bangalore. Several influential persons, whose properties had been notified, hobnobbed with those in power and had got their lands denotified.

Talking on the circular here on Monday, law and parliamentary affairs minister H.K.Patil said: “ Provisions of the Land Acquistion Act and various Supreme Court verdicts have made it clear that lands cannot be denotified once they are taken possession of by the acquiring agency. But still, order departments keep referring denotification requests to the law department unaware of the status of law.”

Patil had received more than half – a – dozen such files seeking the law department’s opinion on the issues.

However, patil remained mum when asked if the circular had been issued in the wake of a controversy over the government withdrawing more than 2,400 acres of land given to BMIC project and following the demand to reconvey surplus land to the owners. “The circular is not aimed at any particular project.”