The Himachal Pradesh high court has directed SJVN Limited (SJVNL) to pay solatium, interest and other statutory benefits to landowners whose land was acquired for the 210 MW Luhri Hydro Electric Project (Stage-I), holding that the company is bound by the conditions imposed by the state government while approving negotiated land compensation rates.
The dispute arose from the procurement of private land in villages, including Badrash and Nirath, for the hydroelectric project. Instead of proceeding through formal compulsory land acquisition, the company obtained the land through negotiated rates finalised by a government-constituted negotiation committee. The HC rejected this contention, emphasising that the manner in which the land was procured could not be used to disregard the conditions attached to the government’s approval of the negotiated compensation.
The Himachal Pradesh government, while approving the negotiated rates on March 6, 2020, had specifically stipulated that SJVNL would comply with the mandatory provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act relating to compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement.
