Serchhip DC Made Excess Payments To Landowners: CAG

Aizawl, Jul 30 : The district collector of Serchhip in central Mizoram made excess payments to the tune of Rs 164.17 lakh to two landowners for compensation on acquisition of land during 2010, according to the latest report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India presented at the state assembly.

The report said the state government acquired 85 acre of land at Dawngzawl area in Serchhip district for the Border Security Force (BSF) after payment of compensation amounting to Rs 1,960.49 lakh to four landowners. The four landowners claimed compensation for value of land, crops, interest and 30% solatium. While the total value of land, crop and interest was placed at Rs 1,525.48 lakh, the supplementary award in the form of the solatium was to the tune of Rs 435.01 lakh.

On receipt of the awarded value of Rs 1,960.49 lakh from the BSF, the district collector duly disbursed the same to the four interested persons and handed over the land to the BSF on October 19, 2010, the CAG report said.

Scrutiny of the records of the collector's office revealed that of the four interested persons, two - B Vanlalhruaia and C Lalhmangaihsanga - had submitted their claims in response to the notice under section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, for payment of Rs 480 lakh and Rs 450 lakh respectively towards the value of land and standing crops. Against their claims, the district collector (deputy commissioner) of Serchhip district irregularly pronounced compensation of Rs 768.41 lakh and Rs 653.12 lakh to B Vanlalhruaia and C Lalhmangaihsanga respectively. "Accordingly, based on the value of compensation (compensation of land and damage of crops) so determined in access of their claims, the collector calculated the interest and solatium in excess of actual payable amount," the CAG report says.

The report adds that as per the claims of the two land-owners under Section 9 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, a total compensation of Rs 1,257.36 lakh was payable to them, against which the collector had irregularly awarded a compensation of Rs 1,421.53 lakh which resulted in an excess compensation payment of Rs 164.17 lakh.

The reported scam of the compensation on the acquisition of land for the BSF which rocked the state during 2010-11 almost fizzled out but the CAG report revived the controversy giving a salvo for the opposition of the state as Mizoram goes to assembly polls by the later part of next year.