In an embarrassment for the GHMC, the office and furniture of the civic body’s special deputy collector for land acquisition were attached on Tuesday for its failure to pay compensation for land acquired for road-widening, despite High Court orders. The case dates back to 1986, when 7,592 square yards belonging to Mukarram Jah Trust for Education and Learning in old city was acquired. The Trust moved High Court, pleading the compensation amount was meagre.
The High Court had increased the compensation amount from Rs 60 per square yard to Rs 243 per square yard in its order on July 7, 2010. The Trust secretary Kamaluddin Ali Khan said the land acquisition authorities have neither moved the Supreme Court nor given the cheque for land and structural compensation till date. Subsequently, the Trust filed an execution petition and attachment warrants were issued.
Mr Khan’s counsel said, “We have symbolically attached the office and furniture of special deputy collector, land acquisition, M.V. Surya Kala. The office is on the sixth floor of GHMC head office at Tank Bund. We served them an attachment warrant given by the court.” Mr Khan said the officials gave an undertaking to the effect that payment would be made soon.